Jealousy
by Yuoaj009
Summary: It was the main reason Yumi and Ulrich never got together. But now she has a simple job, a somewhat stable relationship and a cozy appartment. Life wasn't bad if it was calm like this, right? But there is always a fork in the road you take. Now, Yumi finds herself struggling with her feelings. Promotion, emotions, reunion and one big secret? Can she hold up? YxU
1. Chapter 1: A New Start

Jealousy is a simple word, yet one of the most destructive emotions there is. Yumi Ishiyama's current situation allows her to know best.

Many, many times had she felt it, when she saw Ulrich walking with Sissy, Emily or other girls from his class that talked to him ever so rarely. However, years had passed. The line she had drawn in their past - "Let's stay good friends" - was never erased. Ulrich never confessed to her, respecting her opinion on their relationship. Though she was positive he was also afraid of what she would say. The duo stayed good friends, but drifted apart after high school graduation. William had confessed to Yumi directly afterwards. Her reply? "Yes." Ulrich had witnessed the scene, while searching for her to congratulate her. Any hopes he might have had up to that point had been shattered. Her eyes were full of regret as she eyed him and watched him walk away. That was the last time she had seen him. Yumi and Ulrich were utterly and completely broken apart by that one powerful emotion.

William was very understanding in the beginning of their relationship. He supported her when she went against her parents' wishes. She wanted to move out of the house and start living independently. Her parents were angry with her at first, but softened up when she explained how important this was to her. She left out that she just wanted to get away from the place that reminded her of _him. _However, William had caught onto her actual reason and helped convince her parents by stating that he would keep an eye on her. Hiroki had blabbed about their relationship status to their parents, who ironically didn't mind that he was Yumi's boyfriend. William was being polite in front of them, which helped. But Yumi knew he did it for himself. Moving away was better for him too. No reminders, meant more time to focus on William.

When she parted from her parents and brother, she silently bid farewell to Kadic Academy and all her memories as well. She stashed them away in an archive in her brain.

William helped her settle in her apartment, which was a ready-to-live-in apartment that only missed its decorations. The downside was the size of the rooms as they were all very small. But she was going to live alone anyway. No other person would need her space. Of course, her little amount of savings was nowhere near enough to manage. She applied for a job. It was a simple receptionist job for a large company, coming with a decent pay. Yumi had decided to take self-study courses that would eventually be equal to the level of a University graduate. It would however take her approximately five years, but Yumi had little choice if she also wanted to work.

Yumi got along with generally everyone. It was easy to strike conversations and she found that the people were all friendly. Of course, there were a few exceptions. One being a brunette with glasses that looked exceptionally graceful as she sat in front of her computer, trying to divide the attention between her work and the conversation with her assistant. Yumi had often seen Emily working in the office, but never paid her any attention.

On day one of her job she was trained by her colleague, who had been working there for ten years. However, due to her pregnancy, she would soon quit her job. Her colleague had weighed her options and figured it would be better not to force herself to work and raise her baby. Yumi had no trouble picking up the rules and the manners for the job. She politely greeted guests, explained where they had to be or what they had to do. Occasionally, she was to bring her co-workers coffee or tea. Usually once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It was a course of action and reaction and Yumi found that she liked the simplistic job a lot. The female colleague who trained her had become a good friend over the few months that she had left. Her thoughts would suddenly go to Aelita, the only female friend she had in high school. Although each time that would happen, she would shake her head and focus again.

She met up with William twice a week. At first, she was wary of how the relationship would turn out. But William had shown no signs of ill nature and stayed with her as his casual self. Yumi appreciated his determination, as she was aware that he knew she didn't fully reciprocate his feelings. Sometimes, he would surprise her by nonchalantly entering the building and asking where he had to be to fill in a form to save his girlfriend from boring office hours. Even though she glared at him for making stupid jokes, she had to laugh at each new thing he came up with to merely speak with her for a few minutes. Her colleague had noticed the regular visitor, but never mentioned anything as it didn't hinder their job. She was glad that the Japanese girl had somebody to make her laugh.

* * *

After two and a half years, things became different. Her colleague had long since left, though still staying in touch via phone. Yumi felt that the atmosphere had changed. The workers had become stiff and depressed, working overtime to meet the expectations of their boss. Maybe it was a seasonal thing. It was winter after all and people that were looking forward to days off around Christmas would suffer until the last moment. The overload of work stopped nobody, but Yumi felt like she wasn't as involved anymore. The once friendly aura, turned hostile and she was considered a distraction from their work. Only later did she find out the real reason for being ignored.

A week before Christmas the director of the company did his monthly rounds. This time he was accompanied by a young man, who didn't look happy to be there at all. Yumi had overheard some conversations of her co-workers in the offices when she stubbornly went to bring them their drinks. Wanted or not, she was not going to be fazed by a bunch of grumpy workers. The rumours spoke of the director supposedly being the uncle of the young man. Their last stop for introductions was surprisingly the place where everybody starts their day, the reception desk. "And this is miss Yumi Ishiyama. She has been working for us for two and half a years now. I'm glad our company hired such a hard worker. She always greets everybody with a lovely smile on her face," the director went on about her job, explaining to the young man what her responsibilities were. Yumi had stopped listening after making eye contact with the young man. One she knew all too well.

"Ulrich," she whispered to herself. The director noticed that he hadn't mentioned him yet. "Oh, my apologies. This is Ulrich Stern. I'm sure you've heard the rumours by now. Yes, he is my cousin, but that's of no importance in this company as we all have a job to do. He will be the new manager for the team on this floor," he explained. Yumi looked at the director, short of words. She was to believe that Ulrich was going to manage the most important team of the company. The team was on the ground floor for reasons. It made it easier to search for a specialist when one was required. The office behind Yumi had at least one person responsible for each area of the company, from financial to customer service. It was a lot to take in and she was sure Ulrich must have felt the same way. "Why don't you introduce yourself now?" The director suggested.

Ulrich had a poker face. Yumi found it hard to read his emotions, something that she had no trouble with when they went to high school. He extended his hand to her and said, "Nice to meet you." Yumi shook his hand, still too shocked to say anything other than "likewise." The director carried on with his explanations, satisfied that he finished his introductory rounds. "Miss Ishiyama, I would like to propose something to you. Would you like to become Ulrich's secretary? I have seen how hard you have worked these past two and a half years. You always do your work perfectly, beyond expectations and you do more than only necessary tasks. What do you say?" He offered her. Now Yumi was dumbfounded. She had an "excuse me?!" moment in her head. "I'm not sure if I'm the right person," she began but stopped when she saw the look on Ulrich's face change. He now had a surprised expression on his face. Apparently the director just announced something he also wasn't aware of.

She started a thought process. If she took the job, her salary would definitely increase. It would be easier to get by each month, probably much easier. But she would have to deal with the awkwardness between them. How would he act? Would he still be mad? Of course he would. If she didn't take it, wouldn't that mean that she was giving in?

Ultimately, she decided that she would accept the director's offer. Whether or not Ulrich would agree, didn't make a difference to her. Yet she felt she had no courage to look up and see his reaction. So she focused on the director and continued her sentence, "but I would be happy to take on the challenge. I believe I can be of good use to Mr. Stern." She heard him scoff. "Just call me Ulrich," came his crude response. "Okay," she said, still not looking at him. The director wanted to tell Ulrich to be nicer, but got interrupted by a phone call. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he announced and walked away leaving them with their silence.

"How are you?" She asked him eventually. "Fine," was the short reply. "I didn't think you would take to an office job. What happened to becoming a soccer player?" Yumi ignored his bluntness. "As you can see, it didn't happen," he said. "Right," she stated. "_Probably not the best timing in the world to talk about such matters,_" she thought. The director returned and explained to her she would start her new job in January because they had to find a replacement for her. Then they left her to do her job as opening hours officially begun. She wondered what kind of person would come to work there soon.

They found somebody very quickly and Yumi was eager to train her newest colleague. Her name was Kelly - of whom she was pretty sure she had seen before - and she was fluent in understanding the job and executing it. She was quite the talker and Yumi got to know the girl at lightning speed. Apparently she had a flamboyant boyfriend called Odd, whose Italian was perfect. Hearing this, the Japanese girl felt constricted. There was only one person she could have meant. Kelly carried on with her story. In her spare time, she was an artist who sold her paintings online. And she revealed the couple had plans to live together with a pet, a dog named Kiwi. "You know, I feel like we're going to be great friends Yumi. We should hang out," she suggested. Yumi told her they should make plans someday. "Or you could get a boyfriend and we'll go on a double date," she beamed at her. Yumi however declined that idea immediately.

"Uhm, I have a boyfriend, but he doesn't like double dates," she lied. If they didn't even go on dates, how would they handle a double date? "Too bad, well then it'll be the two of us. I'll introduce you to Odd in the near future," she replied bubbly. Yumi nodded, not finding it necessary to mention that she actually knew them both. Kelly continued the conversation. "What are your plans for Christmas?" Yumi had to think. Her parents would go on a trip to Japan for a week, taking Hiroki and Milly - yes, they got together - with them. William almost cried when he told her that they couldn't be together during the Christmas holiday because he had killer tests to study for and a family occasion. He wanted to safe her the trouble of meeting his family during the most exciting time of winter. "I'm going to treat myself to the best dinner I've ever had and buy myself a nice gift," she grimly concluded out loud. "Really? That's crazy. Doesn't your boyfriend have time at all?" She questioned. "Well, he used to be a rebel who didn't care about studying at all. Since he has a dream now, found a drive to go for it, I don't want to interrupt his planning," she defended him, though started to doubt. "I might ask him if he has a little time before the holiday starts though," she added. Samantha grinned and said, "yeah, you should. Buy him something to show your support!" They spoke a lot and soon it was time to close the office.

Besides the new friend she made, the only thing she would miss about being a receptionist would be that she got to go home at five o' clock sharp each afternoon. While the two of them closed up, Kelly asked her something. "Hey Yumi, I know you're going to be the new manager's secretary, but be careful okay? I think people aren't too happy about you receiving that offer from the director," she warned her and explained further. "I overheard the people in the main team during my last round there. It seems other candidates were set aside because the director favoured you. Next to that, you also personally know Ulrich, so it might look like you got into it because of connections without proving yourself. Of course you already work hard, I mean thanks for being an awesome mentor, but they don't look at it that way. Seriously, weird people," she finished talking.

Yumi was thankful that Kelly was outspoken. She had figured out the reason earlier as to why the workers from the main team suddenly started to dislike her. Their friends were probably the candidates for the job. Then there was Emily, who never failed to come across as a hard worker. But Yumi knew she must have informed the others about the connection Yumi and Ulrich have.

"_It's going to be a long winter,_" she thought.

* * *

**A/N: Samantha was first in line to be Odd's girlfriend, but I decided against it as it is more convenient for her not to know Yumi or remember Yumi. So I chose Kelly, who is a minor character in Code Lyoko that appeared once or twice. She won't appear much in this story. As for Emily, she won't have an evil personality. I hope you liked this first chapter. Hit review if you did :)?  
**


	2. Chapter 2: Lonely Christmas?

**A/N: Hello again! Thank you for your follows, favs and review. I appreciate your support :)! I realized I forgot to put my signature disclaimer in chapter 1. So.. I'll do that now. This chapter is a nice build-up for the next.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Today was the last day before the Christmas holidays. Everyone would be busier than usual, wanting to finish their tasks properly. Yumi's routine hadn't changed much, except for the lack of contact with William this week. He hadn't been very responsive at all, so Yumi still hadn't talked to him about meeting up. Now Christmas was around the corner and she might not be able to give him his gift.

She opened her drawer to reveal the wrapped box. Inside were the recently released headphones that she knew he wanted to have. Since he always listened to music wherever he went, she figured it would make a great gift. Her thoughts wandered to the gift she received for Christmas from the company. Although this year's extra gift was better compared to other years. "Hey Yumi," Kelly greeted as she got back from her coffee rounds. Yumi closed her drawer and return the greeting. "Is it like this every year? Do you receive an extra present in addition to the gift card we get?" Kelly asked.

"No, I guess we were just lucky. Usually it's a bonus check and gift card. But I don't mind receiving this with it," Yumi answered, waving a ticket in front of her with a smile. Apparently the director had ordered around thirty tickets to the Subdigitals Christmas concert and had them distributed randomly between all employees. Yumi and Kelly were amongst those who got one. "Ah, well I like their music, but I have plans that day, so you can have my ticket," she said, handing the ticket to Yumi.

"Wait...," Yumi began but stopped talking as she spotted Ulrich coming out of his office. "Good morning sir," Kelly said happily. Ulrich merely gave them a nod and walked to the main team's office. "He's so cold. I haven't seen him laugh or smile or even grin at all," she said, crossing her arms and furrowing her brows. "It's only been one week. I don't believe you should judge this soon," Yumi pointed out. Though, she had a hard time convincing herself otherwise. She was most likely the reason why he seemed extra pissed off.

Against her expectations, Ulrich had been handling the team pretty well. He was exceptionally focused on his job with a completely serious attitude. It made her wonder why he wasn't as opposed to working as he used to be. She mentally noted that she had to ask him that someday. "He does convey an impression of a hard worker though," she suddenly said aloud. Kelly had taken to her fruit and looked back at her, confusion written on her face. "Hmm," she mumbled with a piece of pineapple in her mouth, "you are awfully positive about him," she spoke up after swallowing.

"I happened to notice it," Yumi smoothly replied. After that they resumed their work, eager to see the clock display their freedom time.

* * *

"YES!" Kelly shouted when everybody, except for them, had left the building. "Well, early Merry Christmas Yumi! I'll see you next year!" She briefly hugged her and ran out, supposedly meeting up with Odd for a date. "Merry Christmas!" The Japanese woman called after her. She grabbed her bag and gift and left as well, going in the opposite direction. "Let's try to call Mr. Studious again," she said to herself.

"Hey, Yumi," William answered.

"Hello William, where are you now? I want to give you something before you leave," she told him, knowing he would depart soon. "I hope you're not too enthusiastic about seeing your family again," she joked.

"Always thrilling having to see them again," sarcasm clear, "you can come over. I'm at my place," was the response.

"See you in five," Yumi hung up and got on her bicycle to set out for his apartment, which was a few streets down from the company she worked at.

As she entered the apartment complex, she observed the person waiting in front of the elevator. "Ulrich," she whispered to herself. For unknown reasons she refused to let him see her and waited it out. She hid behind the mailbox lockers. "_This feels so stupid. He presumably won't care whether or not I'm here, for whatever reason. What if he already saw me before I went in? Ugh, I don't know_," she abruptly ended her thought streak and walked over to the elevator when Ulrich had gone up. She didn't want to perceive the floor he got off at, but her brain had other plans as her eyes instantly went to the sign above the doors. "Ten?" She felt relieved as it was four floors above William's located apartment. Absent-mindedly she walked in and pressed six inside the elevator.

"Welcome Yumi," William said from his door opening. He let her in and closed the door. "Thanks, Mr. Nice Guy," she said, grinning at him. "Your roommate is out?" She asked. "Yep, he went grocery shopping upon my request because I really need some chocolate or I won't survive my family," he said, laughing afterwards. She knew he must have chased him out, since she was coming over.

"Instead of chocolate, this might be more appropriate to fend them off," she revealed the gift. He took it from her and opened it immediately, curiosity high. Yumi frowned. Happiness was visible on his face. "Thanks, you're the best," he said. "Uhm, I know this might be weird, but since the Subdigitals have a Christmas Concert coming up and I want at least one of us to be there, I bought you this," he took something out of his desk's drawer.

When Yumi saw the item he was holding, it was confirmed. "You bought me a ticket for a concert and you expect me to go alone?" She was baffled. "Yeah, I seriously feel bad about us not being able to spend these days together. So I want you to attend it, enjoy it and feel great afterwards. It's the best band out there. Don't miss them, I mean it," he pushed the ticket in her hands and looked at her full of determination to get her to go. "I'll enjoy it for the both of us then," she chuckled, putting the ticket away.

"It's actually pretty funny," she began and told him what happened at work. "There goes my original gift," he said, sighing. "Too bad for you," Yumi laughed. "I should go now, have a safe trip," she told him. "Yeah, I will, see you soon," William gave her a kiss on her cheek and let her out.

* * *

After cooking herself the best dinner she had ever managed to make, she took a shower and plopped down on her bed. "Guess I'll read a book," she randomly announced. Two hours passed, but it was only 22:00 when she didn't feel like reading anymore. "_I wonder if William arrived yet_," she thought. Yumi messaged him and got a reply stating that his family kidnapped him, planning to send him into the forest with a bunch of kids to have some sort of courage test. She laughed reading the absurd situation he apparently had no say in. "Good luck," she wished him.

She scrolled through her contacts and started to call the few friends she had to wish them a Merry Christmas in advance. She didn't think she would want to hear them on the days themselves. When she finished, her eyes landed on someone who she hadn't contacted in years. Contemplating if she should call him, her finger kept hovering over his name. She had no reason to call him, but she still was interested in the answers to all her questions regarding him.

"No harm in trying. He's already mad anyway," she decided and pressed the green phone button on her screen. In the time that she waited for him to accept the call, all kinds of thoughts ran through her head. "_But will he even pick up? Does he have the same number? Okay, should I even have called? I'll probably be disturbing him. Maybe he's out. What if he has a date? Or even a girlfriend? Why did I call again?_" Her thoughts were interrupted by a voice. "Hello?" a hoarse voice resounded through her speaker.

"_Didn't he look at the caller ID? Did he delete my number?" _She thought. "Yumi?" A significantly more surprised tone was used. Being momentarily stunned, she accidentally ended the call. "_Great, now he'll think me an idiot_."

However, seconds after her phone rang again. Hesitation coursed through her. Still, she picked up.

"Hello," she tentatively spoke.

"Hey Yumi. What's wrong? Why did you call?" Ulrich asked her.

"Nothing. I was just calling some friends to wish them a Merry Christmas in advance," she explained, marvelled that he was talking to her normally.

There was a moment of silence. "_So what do I say now…?_"

"Do you have any plans for Christmas?" She didn't expect his question.

"No," she began, but looked at the three concert tickets on her desk, "but since I got a ticket for the Subdigitals concert on Sunday, I was planning on going there," not stating she actually had three tickets.

"Nice, I'm going too. Are you going with _William_?" He tried not to let the spite in his voice come through, but she was sharp. Yumi let it slide. This was also not the right timing.

"I am….attending it by myself," she admitted, finding it unnecessary to lie about that since he had the possibility to spot her during the concert, albeit a small one.

"Me too, I guess I want to get away from life for a bit," he revealed. She was surprised he openly let her know that things weren't great. Then again, she had already noticed that from his mood.

"Maybe we can go together?" She suddenly suggested.

"Are you sure?" Ulrich double checked. He would gladly go with her, but the thought of an annoying William pestering her about it made him doubt.

"I would like that. We can catch up," she said.

"Yeah, okay," he still sounded hesitant. He recovered quickly. "I'll pick you up. Just text me your address," he offered.

"Sure. See you then."

"See you, Yumi," he softly said, ending the call afterwards.

The Japanese woman clutched the phone close to herself. It felt like decades had passed since the last time she had heard his voice like that. The throbbing feeling in her chest didn't help much. She found it peculiar that she had been freaking out before he picked up, yet it turned out a normal conversation. With renewed excitement, she fell asleep, hoping she could have a nice Christmas after all.

* * *

**A/N: And that's it. Want to know what happens next? Please review! Also, one more thing. My best friend told me to use a particular word in chapter 2. I tried to integrate it well into the story. ****Can you guess what it was?**


	3. Chapter 3: Concert Date

**A/N: Hello again! First of all, thank you for your reviews, follows and favs. The reviews really do give you a boost of happy energy! The next chapter is up. I think it's longer than the others, but enjoy nonetheless! The concert date(?) starts now! For those who actually tried to guess the word from the previous chapter: it was 'pineapple'.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi stared at the gifts on her coffee table. The left one was the one she had gotten him for the Christmas after she graduated. It was a crazy idea then and it still was. The right one she had bought on impulse on Saturday, when she was out shopping. Gifts were appropriate for the occasion, right? Shaking her head twice, she put them in her bag. It was hard to believe she was actually going through with this. She had prepared for it, like it was a normal date. Was that wrong?

She was putting on her shoes and jacket, when the doorbell rang. Yumi looked through the hole in her door. Reality downed on her as she saw that he was standing in front of her door. "Hang on," she stated, taking off her keys from the hook on her wall. After opening the door, she swallowed. Had he always looked this handsome? He wore dark jeans, white sneakers, a black t-shirt with a denim jacket over it. To finish the look, his brown hair had a dishevelled look to it, but fell perfectly into place.

"Hey Yumi," he broke her staring session. "You look nice, are you ready?" She was wearing black high waist skinny jeans with a long sleeved dark red turtleneck crop top and a pair of black low wedge heels. She also wore a white scarf and black jacket.

"Thanks, you look great as well," she turned around to hide a blush, making it seem like she was checking her apartment for forgotten stuff. "Let's go," she said, locking her door. Yumi followed him to his car.

The drive to the concert was very quiet, referring to the lack of conversation. Ulrich had music playing in the car. "A warm-up for the concert," he had told her, while adjusting the volume. Yumi appreciated the silence between them though. She wouldn't want to fill her mind with too many thoughts before the concert had even started. And although they arrived fairly quickly, she noticed the wind had picked up considerably in the short time it took them to get there. Ulrich and Yumi went to stand in line, waiting for their tickets to be scanned.

When it was almost their turn, Ulrich was rummaging through his pockets and wallet, but didn't seem to find his ticket. She heard him mumble something about leaving it in the car. "Here," he heard her say. When he lifted his head, she was holding out a ticket for him. "I got Kelly's at work, I took it with me. It takes too long to go back to the car and search for your own, so take it," she added, gesturing to the line behind them. "Thanks," he said, taking it from her to get it scanned.

Yumi became lost in her thoughts. She spotted the other two tickets in her bag, one from William, one from the company. Somehow, even though she said she would enjoy the concert for the both of them, it felt weird to use William's ticket when she was with Ulrich now. So she took out the other one and closed her bag, feeling a little guilty.

"NO!" She heard a girl yell behind her. Yumi turned around and saw a girl who was sobbing, because her ticket had flown away. Out of sympathy, she tapped the girl on her shoulder. "You can take this one, I have another one anyway," she said, smiling at her. "Wow, you sure? Thank you so sooo much!" The girl said. Yumi mentally thanked the girl. She wouldn't have to worry about her choice of ticket, now that she didn't have a choice.

Ulrich frowned. "How many tickets did you get at work?" He asked her, as he handed his over when it was their turn. "Only two," she said. Yumi retrieved William's ticket from her bag. "I got one from William," she revealed, leaving out the have-fun-for-two part and handing hers over too. The irony, there were two of them now. "Ah," was his response, looking ahead again with an unreadable expression. "He could have made more of an effort to be with you," he randomly blurted out, while they walked inside.

"Excuse me?" Yumi couldn't believe her ears. Here she was, trying her hardest to ignore his sullen remarks every time she mentioned something about William, but she was reaching her limit. "I wouldn't want to miss a Christmas with my girlfriend, I certainly wouldn't tell her to go to a concert on her own," Ulrich continued. "You don't even know him. He has his reasons. William _was_ concerned about it, okay? He just couldn't go," she chose a stubborn reply. "So what if I don't? I bet he hasn't even called to ask if you're really going or not. If it's so important to him, why didn't he," he argued. "You don't have a right to say that, it's just one thing," she argued back. But a different thought had entered her mind. "_Why hadn't he called?" _It was unlike William not to.

"Is it? I thought Christmas was such a big thing for you. Didn't you always look forward to it? He could have at least called. It's not that hard to contact someone with a phone," Ulrich said, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Oh really? You didn't exactly stay in touch all these years, did you?" Yumi countered. He looked at her for two seconds before gazing at the street. Yumi suddenly felt nervous, seeing his serious eyes. "I could say the same about you," he replied, with an unexpected soft voice. Silence followed. They reached their standing places with grim expressions present on their faces. Yumi cursed their timing. The concert was about to start.

"Sorry," they coincidentally said in unison. They both smiled. Yumi had to give it to him. He was less sulky about it than she expected he would be. But they had their reasons. Besides, he wasn't wrong. If she thought about it carefully, he probably had a hard time accepting that she was William's girlfriend. So, it was more likely for him not to contact her. The same didn't apply to her. She could have contacted him, yet she had chosen to leave ill feelings lingering wherever she left them.

"I'll be less of a jerk now, so let's have fun," he said. Yumi nodded. "Let's do that," she responded, as a way to tell him it was okay now.

They thoroughly enjoyed the concert, loudly singing along to their favourite songs. Then Yumi was suddenly pushed, falling against Ulrich's side. He steadied her with his left hand. Her left hand brushed his right by accident. When she was shoved forward again, she glared at the person behind her who seemed to mutter something along the lines of an apology. However, something grabbing _her_ hand caught her attention, so she turned back. Ulrich was holding her hand, but he wasn't looking at her. Yumi was confused and stared at him. He caught her gaze and moved his mouth next to her ear, so she could hear him.

Faintly, she made out the words "to keep you from falling". Of course, she had no need for it, but she felt more secure anyway. She squeezed his hand and felt him returning it.

Staying like that throughout the rest of the concert, she felt genuinely happy. The happiness the same feeling they had shared years ago.

When the concert was over, they bought some merchandise to be able to retain the memory of their little reunion. They were still holding hands. But Ulrich released her hand as he opened the door to the passenger's seat and it left her with a strangely empty feeling. The ride back was quiet again, this time without music. Yumi couldn't hold in the questions she really needed an answer to. "Ulrich?" She tested his name for no reason. "Hmm?" He focused on the traffic in front of him. "Could you tell me the reason why you didn't become a soccer player?" She carefully asked him.

He froze up for a few seconds. "I broke my leg during a training where I was sure to be scouted. It didn't heal properly, so I wouldn't be able to play any matches as it puts too much strain on my leg," he clarified. "Oh, sorry for asking," Yumi suddenly felt down. His talent was going to be lost. The one thing he really excelled in and enjoyed to no end was taken away from him. "It's okay, I wasn't hiding anything from you. It was just cruel fate, I guess," he reasoned.

"So, how did you end up as manager? I mean, you're twenty… that's so young to be a manager," she asked him. "My dad was furious with me for being careless and failing to become a real star in what seemed to be the only talent I had in his eyes. He ordered me to follow many courses in the year after I graduated. I was home tutored daily and trained to the bone to become one of his minions. Eventually, I got the job at my uncle's company, which you could say was the best of my options," he told her.

"People think you got in because of your connection to the director," Yumi said.

"I know, but my uncle wasn't part of the application process. He has better things to do, I suppose," Ulrich replied. "Are you worried?"

Yumi looked out the window. "A little," she admitted, thinking about Kelly's words.

"Don't be. We'll be good. I won't be too strict on you," he teased her.

"Is that so?" She eyed him, suspecting lies.

"Who knows?" He shrugged. Yumi smiled. She noticed they arrived in the parking space next to her apartment complex, when Ulrich lifted the hand brake. She was about to step out of the car, when she remembered the gifts. "Oh, I have a gift for you. Well, actually two. I hope you don't mind," she said, explaining the reason for it being two. "Heh, you kept it, why didn't you give it away?" He inquired. "It was rather, uh… _personal_," she admitted, tugging at her scarf. "Aren't you going to open it?" She asked, as she stepped outside. He started his car again, "I thought you weren't supposed to open it in front of the person who gave it to you. Weren't you the one who taught me that?" He teased her. "Right," she winked at him, feeling immensely happy that he had remembered that. He nodded to her. "Good night Yumi," he told her. She watched him drive away while waving at the car.

* * *

"Hi Yumi," she heard someone call from the building's entrance. When she got closer, she noticed it was William's friend, Theo. "Hello Theo, why are you here at this hour?" She asked, checking the clock on the wall inside only to see there was still half an hour left of Christmas. "William said I had to give this to you around this time. You came from the concert right? He asked me for a favour. I'm only here to hand you your gift. He said he was sorry he couldn't spent a proper Christmas with you," Theo explained.

"Well, here you go. I'm sorry but my girlfriend is waiting for me to return, so I have to go. See you again," he hastily said. Yumi received the gift in her hands and yelled a "bye" after his running figure.

After having taking a really quick shower, there were only a few minutes left until Monday would start. She opened the gift. It was a bracelet with charms of many different music notes. "To keep me with you" the note that was at the bottom of the box said. She smiled at William's silly way of thinking. But she admitted it was a sweet gesture. The silver bracelet fit nicely around her wrist.

Yumi placed the gift on her night stand. Taking out her phone, she texted William her words of gratitude and wished him a good night's rest. The amount of energy she had left, wasn't enough to read William's reply before she drifted asleep.

The next morning, she woke up and grabbed her phone which was indicating she had missed calls from William. The first thing she noticed was the text that showed "Can we talk?". Deleting her notification, she continued to the calls. A little startled by the amount of calls displayed, she scrolled through them. They were all between 00:30AM and 01:00AM. There was one voicemail and it contained only one sentence. Her face paled when she heard it.

"Why were you in the car with _Ulrich Stern_?"

* * *

**A/N: So... see you soon :P? I would like to read your thoughts on the chapter. ****Please leave a review :)!?**


	4. Chapter 4: First Signs

**A/N: Hello! I'm back again! I know this update is later than usual (I try once a week, Saturday to Sunday). I worked on a one-shot for another story that I wanted to try and write out. It worked, so yay! The weekend was rather busy too. Anyway, the biggest problem was that the original chapter 4 turned out to be over 4,000 words... and I thought that too long. So I figured out where to cut it off.**

**Next: I want to thank you all for your support! Your reviews put smiles on my face :D! Thanks for the favs and follows too :)!**

**Finally: Because I am a little late and I have the other chapter ready anyway, it's a double update :)! (So chapter 6 will probably be next week as well). Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination:)!  
**

* * *

Maybe she wasn't fully awake yet. Had she heard that correctly? She replayed the voicemail, but didn't make out any different words. The only question she wanted answered this very moment was: How did William find out about her being together with Ulrich? Actually, she was pretty mad that he left a voicemail like that. When she had listened again, she noticed that he was drunk. He hadn't spoken in a coherent way. Yumi called him, ready to demand answers.

"Hello," she heard his croaky voice say. Evidently, he had been woken up by the call.

"Hello William," Yumi responded, setting a harsh tone. It seemed to work. William sounded more energetic directly after.

"What's up?" He said. Yumi was astonished at his normal voice.

"Nothing much. I was trying to figure out your reason for calling me _fifteen_ times when I was obviously asleep!" She stressed.

"Huh? I did?" He sounded truly confused. "I'm sorry, I must have been in some crazy mood. I drank a lot last night. I don't remember a thing," he explained, a tiredness to his voice.

"Are you serious?" Yumi was stunned.

"Yeah… how was yesterday? Did you have fun?" He asked softly.

She nodded, forgetting he couldn't see her. "Uhm, yes… I had a… great time," she hesitantly replied. Yumi instantly sensed William was lying. She had come to known him pretty well during the past years. William _never_ forgot anything he did when he had been drunk. No one could understand how he did that, but it was his weird talent.

"Can we talk later? My mother is calling me. I'd better answer," he quickly said, sounding like he wanted to cut the conversation short. She thought it strange.

"Sure, maybe you should rest more after. You sound tired," Yumi hoped he wouldn't set this aside. She had a right to know the reason for his actions last night.

"Will do, thanks, bye," were the last words she heard before he hung up.

She threw her phone on her bed and let herself fall onto it as well. Somehow she still felt exhausted. So, she fell asleep again.

* * *

It was Yumi's turn to be awoken by a phone call. The screen displayed 'Ulrich Stern', but she didn't notice. "Hmm? This is Yumi," she mumbled. Laughter was heard on the other side. "You're asleep? Did you forget I was going to walk you through all tasks you're expected to handle starting after New Year's?" Ulrich asked. "Hmm? Ulrich? What's wrong?" Yumi's voice was so soft Ulrich had to concentrate hard to be able to hear it. "You are late," he stated. This time it got through to you the Japanese woman.

"WHAT?! What time is it?" She checked her clock, seeing 09:38AM. "I'm sorry, I'll be there as quickly as I can," Yumi affirmed.

"Don't worry, I won't tell on you," he teased. Yumi rolled her eyes. Of course, he wouldn't. He'd be telling himself. He was her boss after all.

"I'm hanging up, see you later," Yumi informed. She raced through her apartment and readied herself in fifteen minutes. She eyed her kitchen, contemplating whether she should make some sandwiches. "_I'll buy something in the cafeteria_," she decided.

She hastily walked inside and zoomed right past Kelly, but not without waving at the girl. It was her first week without Yumi there to help her, so hopefully her training had been enough.

Yumi knocked on the door to Ulrich's office. Technically it was _their_ office, since she would be situated in the room next to Ulrich's. You'd have to go through Yumi's office to get to Ulrich. "Come in," was the response to her action.

"Good morning," she greeted him. He still looked great, but the first thing she noticed was that he was wearing the watch she had bought him the day before the concert. The strap and display background were pitch black, whereas the rim around the watch crystal had a golden colour. The numbers and dots were white (they would glow in the dark). Finally the clockwork's hands were his last Lyoko outfit's yellow colour. She thought the watch suited him better than she had imagined it would.

"Good morning," he replied, seeing she was looking at his wrist, "I stared at this while reprimanding you for your tardiness." He lifted his wrist a little, shaking it for dramatic effect earning a chuckle from her. "I'm glad you like it," she told him. "I liked _the other_ _one_ even more," Ulrich revealed. Yumi made a show of closing the door to hide her blush, again. Ulrich smiled at her when she turned around again. It only made the blush resurface. "Cute," he whispered, though she didn't hear.

"Okay, so here's what we'll do the next days. I'll be introducing you in every department as my secretary. That way, they know who they can turn to when I'm not around or not available. Though you'll most likely be speaking to the team leaders the most. You already know them, which speeds things up. And I want you to meet a few people, so we'll be visiting other companies too," he explained.

Yumi nodded in understanding. She took off her jacket and dropped it onto her chair together with her bag. Double checking whether her pass was around her neck, she took her phone and waited for Ulrich to lead her out.

They visited all departments and Yumi roughly got an overview in her head of what the most important goals of each department were and how they were expected to uphold those. She never failed to notice the scrutinizing stares of employees or the way some whispered behind her back while clearly looking at her. She wouldn't let it faze her, but her thoughts flowed around nevertheless. "_Rumours sure travel fast. It's actually plain stupid. Why can't they just leave me alone? Do they think I'm not capable enough?"_

Yumi recalled all the times when she was handed paperwork to copy. She had taken her time to do so and read through all the work. Why wouldn't she? She had claimed to herself it was merely to investigate the company she worked for, getting to know it inside out. She had spotted countless of careless faults. Weird ideas. Bad lay-outs. Half-hearted work. And these people had the nerve to judge her? At least she was always giving it her all.

When they arrived at their last stop of the day, she had to admit she was feeling a little tired. More mentally than physically. The only place left was ground floor's main office. Ulrich gathered the team leaders together and when he was their centre of attention he spoke up. "Today I've been formally introducing Yumi Ishiyama as my secretary. As you all must have heard, she will officially start after New Year's. This week I'll be preparing her for the job. Also, I have heard some rumours going around. So I want to draw a clear line, which you may relay to your respective teams. _Nor did Yumi Ishiyama receive any preferential treatment, nor did I help her get to this position._ It was a decision based entirely on her excellent posture when she executed her tasks. In a calm and proper manner. If any of you wish to speak their minds, feel free to schedule an appointment with the director to ask for reasons. That's up to you. I don't want to hear a single complaint about who got which job and who didn't, from now on. Are we clear?" Ulrich finished his speech. The rhetorical question hung in the air, although mumbles of "yes, sir" were heard here and there.

Yumi had not moved from her position next to him. But she hadn't dared to look at the team leaders in front of her either. Somehow, this was on a higher scale than the other workers. These people were friends with ex-candidates for her position. It was a totally different issue. She had been very surprised Ulrich had addressed the matter at hand. However, she knew they would take it as "only another speech of some manager". It didn't erase her worries. She was taken out of her thought spiral once again when Ulrich asked her to introduce herself.

"I will do my best to help you all out. I'm always eager to learn something new. So I look forward to working with each of you," she kept it short. After some closing words from Ulrich, they headed for their office. When she closed the door, she heard them starting to talk about her. She tried her best not to pay attention.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Ulrich asked her when they returned. He had noticed her constant frowns and deep-in-thought expressions during every mini break in between departments. "Yes, no problem at all, _sir_," she joked. "Don't say that," he warned her. "I wanted to show you a good place to get your lunch, it's close to the company. But I told the director I'd give him a status update around 01:00 PM and we're already over time," he saw it was fifteen minutes later. "It's fine, we'll go another day. I'll go to the cafeteria today," Yumi said, thinking about stopping by Kelly afterwards. "Okay, see you later," he gave a small wave and left. She closed the door behind her and left as well.

"The cafeteria is currently under maintenance. We will be closed for two days. Our apologies for any inconveniences" read the text on the door when Yumi reached the cafeteria. "Great." Her stomach kept rumbling. "No choice, I'll go out then," she sighed. Remembering to stop by Kelly, she greeted the bubbly girl again. "Welcome, how may I help you?" She asked, grinning when she saw it was her former 'boss'. "You look happy, any special reason?" Yumi asked her friend. "Nothing, I'm just a little giddy because Odd planned out a special date. I don't know what got into him, usually he does things on the spur of the moment. He's keeping it a secret though," she told her. Yumi had to smile seeing her friend so happy, but felt another sting when Odd was mentioned. Maybe she should tell Kelly that she knew Odd after all.

"You know, Kelly, I have to tell you something," Yumi began, taking a deep breath. "Hey Yumi!" She heard a voice say. When she turned around, William was standing there, dressed casually in black sneakers, a pair of jeans and a blue jacket over a black shirt. His hair was a complete mess. "William! What are you doing here?" She asked him, more surprise in her voice about the fact that he should be at his parents' place than the fact that he was here. "Not happy to see me?" He faked sadness. "That's not it," she shook her head, "I thought you were still with your family," she said. "I escaped," he said, making it sound like the most logical thing anyone would do. Yumi rose one eyebrow and William went on the defensive. "My mother said she was grateful I spent Christmas with the family but thought that my girlfriend must be feeling lonely and she allowed me to go back. So I gladly went with that option," he said.

"Kelly, I'll talk to you again, okay?" The girl nodded. "I haven't had lunch yet. Since you desperately wanted to spent time with me, you can buy me lunch," she commanded. "Yes ma'am," he suavely agreed and led the way. She laughed. Yumi had to admit that she had missed William a little. He always had such a laid back attitude that it diverted her attention away from her daily stress. But as the two of them walked outside, somewhere in the back of her mind she thought about how she hadn't been lonely _all_ the time this weekend. Besides that, she was sure she would enjoy her work again as much as she had when she trained Kelly.

* * *

**A/N: I know the next chapter is up, but please put your small thoughts about this chapter in a little review :)!**


	5. Chapter 5: Realize

**A/N: Enjoy this one as well :)!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!  
**

* * *

"So how was Christmas without me?" William asked her, when they were seated in a café at a small table. "Fine, I was able to relax. Too bad my boyfriend decided to leave me behind," she stuck her tongue out. "Very funny. I had a great time too, thanks for asking," his sarcasm clear. "So how is your family? Did you get to spend some quality time with them?" She asked. "Well, yes we had fun. They're absolutely crazy, but I guess I fit in that category, so it was cool," he said. Yumi had to laugh, "Yeah you are crazy alright."

Even though they were having a light conversation, the tension didn't slip by Yumi. William was not one hundred percent himself. He was holding something back. "So, have you managed to think of the reason you had called this night?" Yumi asked, prying for answers. For William the question came unexpected. He abruptly stopped drinking his coffee. "Uhm.. no. I haven't," he stated. "Let's hope it wasn't anything important then," she told him. Silence fell over them.

"By the way," she started her second attempt while softly stirring the sugar in her tea, "why did Theo have to bring me my present? You could have given it to me before you left, right?" William looked startled. "I forgot," came the excuse. Yumi was now sure he was hiding something. And recalling the voicemail's message, she had an inkling as to what it meant. "Really? That's a bit strange, don't you think? I gave you yours before you left. You'd think seeing a gift would remind you of the one you bought for me, wouldn't it?" She sounded more frustrated this time. "What are you hiding?"

"What am _I_ hiding? Why have you been hiding that you've been meeting Ulrich? Since when are you two talking again? I thought _we_ got rid of him," he shot back.

Yumi's anger was fuelled. "What on Earth are you talking about? Why would you bring it across like that?"

"Then let me rephrase. I thought you wanted to _forget_ all about him. Isn't that the reason you live independently? To get away from your hometown. You went to the concert with Ulrich Stern. Isn't that too much?" He unveiled.

"I have my reasons. How come you know about that?" She responded fiercely.

"Answer my questions first. How long have you been in contact with him?" He glared at her, voice demanding.

"Well, unlike your accusation, it's only been a few days. I invited him to the concert, not the other way around. I thought it would be a good place to catch up, since we hadn't particularly had the best parting in the past. I wanted to clear all ill feelings. So I took that opportunity," she answered truthfully, yet annoyance was audible.

"I don't believe it," William said, "let's say that's true. Why is he working at the same company?"

"_Why wouldn't you believe it? It's the truth.._," Yumi thought. This wasn't the first time William's faith in her seemed to have been broken. Situations like these happened before. He even nearly flipped when he walked in on Theo and Yumi sharing a brief hug before Theo went home. But her thoughts directed Yumi to another matter. Puzzle pieces started to form a picture in her head. She made a mental note to contact William's friend later.

"Are you stalking me now? How long have you been home?" She remembered William had said he'd _answer_ his mother's _call_. Which would be weird if he was at home. "I thought it odd that Theo came to give me a gift exactly at my arrival time. There is no way you could have planned that well ahead. For all you know, I would have stayed over at a friend's place. If you were coming to the concert, you could have told me. We wouldn't be having this conversation now," Yumi countered. Getting William to admit his story was her priority. Ulrich would come after that.

"Excuse me for wanting to surprise my girlfriend, but then I find her with another man. And when I recognized _who_, I thought I should let you enjoy your date. You obviously didn't think it was important to let me know you were going with someone, let alone _Ulrich Stern_," he replied.

"Why are you suddenly so jealous? It wasn't even a date. I just explained to you why we were there together. Are you listening?" Yumi asked, incredulous. A white lie, it had felt like a date, when in truth it indeed wasn't. She was only trying to bring her point across.

"Really? So you hold hands with every person you know? I have a lot of patience Yumi, but you're pushing the limits," he warned her. Yumi's cheeks flushed red. "You're acting like a child caught having a candy before dinner Yumi," his argument nothing but valid.

Yumi knew the next sentence would only sound like an excuse, to William and to herself. She told him anyway. "It was to keep me from falling," she began, remembering the way Ulrich had said those words. Her blush got more visible, so she blocked it with her hands by making it seem she grabbed her head to massage her temples. A useless motion, but it helped Yumi compose herself. She spoke with a little more confidence. "Someone was bugging me, so he helped me out."

"And what about your work? You could have told me you ended up working in a company where he worked," he asked her.

Glad for the change in topic, she replied honestly, "I didn't hide anything William. Ulrich started last Monday. He's the main team's manager. I became his secretary. It's not like you to insist that I'm constantly lying to you William. I admit I should have told you about the concert, but I didn't want to ruin your family moments. You like your family right, you don't have to be stubborn about that. It would have soured your mood. I know you well enough William," Yumi calmly said.

She had to reason it out well. William had been dead set on not letting Yumi meet his family yet, presumably because none of them were really ready for that. Meeting his family would have felt somewhat like finalizing their relationship. She felt that it would have been too hastened and awkward for her. William's mother must have understood his feelings and told him it was okay for him to go to the concert. She felt bad for him. He could have had a more peaceful holiday.

"Besides that, your mother was right William. I _was_ lonely. Setting aside the fact that Ulrich was there, I think the concert really distracted me from that feeling. It was only because of you that I went, so you could say you actually cheered me up," Yumi offered. William gave in to her peace treaty, sensing her discomfort.

"Okay, okay, I get it. I went overboard. Sorry for the calls and losing my cool. But I think it'd do us good if you stayed away from Ulrich, as much as you can. I won't do something as crazy as telling you to stop working there after getting promoted," he requested. Yumi nodded, although she knew she wouldn't be able to fulfil his wish completely. They finished their drinks and went outside. William walked her back to the company.

Yumi was filled with unease, despite having solved the problem. She was still baffled that he had followed her to see what she would be doing from the concert to her house. "_Pretty scary..," _she thought. He had managed to arrange for Theo to come help him in some way. "_So all he did was plan it out. Why couldn't he be more direct? He only had to call me or ask me. This all could have been prevented. I don't get it. He was wrong as well, but I had to concede first_."

* * *

They reached the front doors and Yumi said bye to William before heading in. She wanted to head straight for her office. But Kelly had beckoned Yumi to come over and help her. Some clients were asking difficult questions and she had no idea what to do. A line had formed because she couldn't help the annoyed customers in front of her quickly. She decided to help her friend out, sure that Ulrich wouldn't have much left for her to do. However, the wait would get longer and longer. Clients kept coming in with difficult requests and Yumi had to wonder why they all had to come during the same part of the day. A few team leaders had been called upon as well. She noticed the clock displayed a quarter to five when everyone had been dealt with.

Kelly apologized countless times, equal to the amount of times she thanked her friend. "It won't happen again, I've got it all written down!" She promised. Yumi told her not to worry and not to hesitate to ask again. Once she had closed the doors, she went to the water tank and drank a cup of water. Feeling refreshed, she turned to her desk. On top a non-sticky post-it note was fastened with some duct tape on the sides. She pried it off and read the note:

"I have a meeting until five. Please wait for me to return. I have to give you the schedule for the company visits. I tried your phone, but your voicemail said it was switched off. – Ulrich"

Yumi checked her phone and found out its battery was dead. "Ugh, I forgot to charge it in the morning. That's what I get for falling asleep again," she grumbled to herself. She discovered a second note underneath, this square paper smaller than the other. After reading it, she decided that he must have placed the first one on top on purpose, in case someone read it.

"You're not the only one who kept something for years. Open your drawer. This is still for you. The other one is a thank you for the watch. – Ulrich"

Curiosity gnawed at her. She opened her drawer and saw two small boxes, one had a note with 'watch' and the other was labelled with 'personal'. The latter reminded Yumi of her words to Ulrich.

She opened the 'watch' box and had to stifle a laugh at the watch that was inside. It was almost an exact copy from Ulrich's, only the colours were different. Instead of black, it was dark grey. The displays' background was a dark Bordeaux and the clockwork was white. She instantly wore it and smiled at it. Funny her phone wouldn't work now, with the charger waiting at home. At least she could keep track of time more easily without a phone now.

The second box rose her level of anticipation. She opened it and found a simple dark rose gold coloured necklace inside. But the hanger that came with it intrigued her more. It was a fan, much like the one she used on Lyoko. It was engraved with a beautiful flower pattern. The outer edges of the fan held two sabres instead of plain sticks, the hilts pierced with the ring that hung around the necklace. Immediately she knew this gift represented their relationship. They were bound together, always.

Ulrich came inside their office that moment. Yumi had just put on the necklace and had tears in her eyes from figuring out the meaning of his gift. "_What have I done?_" She asked herself inside her head. Ulrich had spotted the accessories on her wrist and around her neck. But his expression went from content to concerned. "What's wrong? Don't you like them?" He asked her.

Yumi shook her head, unable to talk. Ulrich came to stand next to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I love them," she whispered, barely audible to him. He smiled, relieved that she didn't hate it. She felt an urge to hug him, so she did. Carefully she wrapped her arms around his torso, put her head on his chest and her hands on his back. Ulrich was surprised by the gentle action, but wasted no time returning it. His arms enclosed around her and he pressed her closer to him.

The Japanese woman continued speaking into his chest. "Thank you and I'm so sorry," she admitted. Finally breaking down in tears at her realization. Why hadn't she followed her gut feeling? Why hadn't she admitted she wanted Ulrich, not William? Had their agreement about staying good friends even mattered at that point?

She felt Ulrich rub her back gently, trying to calm her down. Unlike years ago, he now understood Yumi's feelings better. He had a lot of time to think after all. Ulrich had known he would have a large impact on Yumi's feeling, but he couldn't stop himself from holding her hand, giving her these gifts and letting her cryptically know how he had been feeling all this time. One day, he would tell her _all_ he felt. He wouldn't call, he wouldn't write, he would tell her while facing her and looking into her eyes. But now he had to withhold. He had to let Yumi figure things out for herself. Ulrich knew he would come to accept any decision she made, whether it would make him happy or sad.

Meanwhile Yumi only had one thought. "_How am I supposed to stay away from you?_"

* * *

**A/N: Emotions :(! Don't forget to share your thoughts ^^! See you again next week. Have a nice Easter!**


	6. Chapter 6: Answers

**A/N: Hello! As promised, the new chapter! Today was King's Day in our country. But the weather wasn't up for that. Rain, wind, rain... all day. Special thanks goes to Paladin777 and Futurebound98 for their reviews! They cheered me up, so thanks! Now, enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Ulrich had walked Yumi back to her apartment. Despite the awkward atmosphere, Yumi appreciated the comfort his presence brought to her. They were lucky to be one of the last to leave the building. Yumi didn't want to imagine what kind of rumour would start, if an employee would have seen her coming out an emotional wreck. Ulrich was relieved too. He wanted to avoid situations that would trouble Yumi any further. He would have been able to clarify it to others at the office. But he knew, people were likely to disbelief him.

They stopped when they arrived at her front door and Ulrich watched her open it. "Call me if you need someone to talk to," he told her before leaving. She only nodded, then closed the door to her apartment. When Ulrich was outside again he realized it was a stupid suggestion. "There is William after all," he muttered to himself, as he started to head back to the office for his car.

After such a stressful day, Yumi only wanted to sleep. But her stomach reminded her of dinner time, so she went to the kitchen to cook some rice and vegetables. She ate a large portion, stored the leftovers for tomorrow, watched the news and finally she took out the papers she received from Ulrich at the office. They hadn't talked about work anymore, but he had handed her the schedule for the remaining days of the week. Deciding that she shouldn't put it off, she studied it:

Tuesday 28 December: Visit ELITA. This IT company is our newest, yet most important client. They provide us with computers, beamers etc. They are also responsible for updating computer software and for the maintenance of all products they provide.

Wednesday 29 December: Visit DELAS. A marketing company. They have been with us from the start. Advertisements, flyers, articles etc. are all in their hands. We only compile the basic concepts.

Thursday 30 December: Visit ROSAS. This company is in charge of our cafeteria. They also do our catering during events. All coffee machines, vending machines, cups, sticks, sugar etc. are provided by them as well.

Friday 31 December: Meeting with designer D. R. to discuss the new project we will be starting in the first week of January.

The times were written next to it. She noticed the first company visit would take all day, whereas the next two visits would last half a day. The meeting with the designer was planned for two hours at nine in the morning. Yumi researched the companies some more. She skimmed their sites and quickly read through their goals and missions. One striking thing was that the IT company had only recently changed its name to ELITA. Apparently there was a new CEO. However, the page that contained the information failed to load, so Yumi didn't know who it was.

When she finished, it was almost 09:00 PM. She remembered that she had planned to call Theo. So she did.

After a few seconds he picked up. "Hi Yumi, how are you?!" He happily answered. Yumi smiled after hearing his energetic voice. "I'm good. You?" She asked. "Great, just great," he replied. "I wanted to talk to you about something," she began. Theo only hummed, confirming he was listening. Yumi contemplated which question was best to ask, but eventually settled on one. "Has William mentioned anything out of the ordinary to you on Sunday?"

"Well, other than his unusual request, I haven't heard him spout any nonsense that isn't part of his craziness," Theo mocked his friend.

"Unusual request?" Yumi innocently asked, inciting him to continue.

"Yeah you know. It was about fifteen or twenty minutes before I arrived at the place you live. He called me with the request to bring your gift to you. I was pretty stunned. I mean, why the hell couldn't he just give that to you when he hadn't left yet? I decided to let that go and did him the favour. I do have to admit I was pissed that he ruined my Christmas date, so he still owes me," Theo explained.

"How come you had that gift in the first place?" Yumi wondered about the vagueness of it all. William had almost acted like a spy with a secret mission. The mission: unmasking Yumi. There was a silence, one Yumi found strange. She repeated her question, rephrased. "Theo, why did you have the gift? And don't lie."

"Look, Yumi, I'm sorry. I think it's better if you talk to William about this. I think he wasn't feeling happy about something. He didn't tell me what has happened, but it probably has to do with you. Otherwise you wouldn't be calling me to ask these questions," he responded carefully.

"You know William. He is stubborn. Of course I tried to talk to him and he wasn't willing to answer, so I thought you might want to help me out. Since that's not the case, I'll figure it out by myself. Thanks anyway Theo. Good night," she harshly told him. She was well aware that it was unnecessary. However, frustration won out.

"Good luck," he told her, unfazed by her tone. Yumi ended the call.

It was all ridiculous. Why was such a small matter so important? It was just a gift, a beautiful one, which was not given to her by the person she was supposed to be closest to. Then it clicked. "_Why haven't I thought of that earlier?_" She reprimanded herself in her head.

She called William to ask if she could come over for a while. Talking to him in person seemed for the better. He informed her that his roommate went out, so they could have a little alone time.

* * *

"Hi Yumi," William greeted, when she was at his front door. "Hey," she curtly answered and walked inside. He frowned upon seeing her foul mood. "What's wrong?" He asked. The black haired woman decided to get straight to the point.

"Mind explaining why you couldn't tell me you planned it all? You didn't visit home, did you? You concealed the fact that you didn't go by replying to my texts with a made up story. You didn't want me to go to the concert by myself, but it was part of your plan to surprise me. You purposely didn't hand me my gift when I came over, because you wanted to give it to me after the concert. The thing that bugs me most of all is Theo giving me the gift. For what reason did you ask him for that favour?"

William was momentarily stunned by her perceptiveness. "You really know what to say to hurt me all over again huh?"

"Excuse me?" Yumi was taken aback.

"How would you feel if your planned out surprise was totally ruined because I chose to hang out with some _random_ girl all day? I just didn't want to have to face you at that moment. But I couldn't leave you hanging without a Christmas gift from me, right? So I called Theo to help me out," he plainly stated.

Yumi knew she should have been focused on him answering her questions. However, it ticked her off that he implied Ulrich had been someone random. The claim that they had been hanging out all day was also uncalled for. "I already told you my reasons for asking Ulrich. It's unfair of you to keep implying things that did not happen William," she told him.

"Yumi, let's forget it now, okay? It's over. I made mistakes. You did too. Let's leave it behind," William said.

She took in his words. What was he saying? She had spent all day trying to figure out what happened and why it happened the way it did. "_He's brushing this aside, as if it's nothing,_" she thought.

"We can talk about this another time. Let's just relax now," William added. He took her hand and pulled her to the sofa. He had stopped himself from blurting out other accusations. It was obvious Yumi hadn't come to understand what she had been doing.

"But…," Yumi began, failing to find the right words.

"Yumi," William sternly said her name. It effectively shut her up, but only for a few minutes. Instead of bringing closure to the problem there seemed to be more tension now. William was suddenly okay with it? But she wasn't and she couldn't fathom why he was.

They sat next to each other on the sofa and William had his arm around her. Usually she didn't mind. Now it did little to make her feel comfortable. She decided to tackle the subject from another angle. "William, I'm sorry if I did anything wrong, but could you at least talk to me about it?" She almost pleaded. The truth was, that she was sick of having to discuss this over and over while the subject was actually trivial. "I don't get it. Why are you being so vague?"

He sighed and turned a little to look at her properly. "Yumi, to me this _is_ something difficult I have to overcome. Ulrich can push buttons in me that shouldn't be hit. But I can move on from that. We've spent two years together. I can handle myself better now, when certain emotions get the better of me," he paused to consider his next words.

It gave Yumi time to think. Because of the fight, she had momentarily focused on William's bad characteristics. But when she thought about it, he was right. William was more considerate now.

"Look, I know you have never fully reciprocated my feelings for you. I wanted it badly in the beginning, I'll admit that. I thought you had said yes because you opted for me instead of Ulrich. However, you and I both know what your reasons were. I tried to accept that. I waited for you Yumi, for you to forget your past and move on. And I am still waiting," he paused again.

"You don't see it, but I do. The reason you want things to be sorted out to the last detail, is because you want to prove your innocence. You keep defending Ulrich, because you want to convince yourself it meant nothing romantically. For what other reason would you try so hard to figure it out? I guess it's partly my fault for throwing all those accusatory remarks at you. Can you blame me though? My one true rival in the race for your heart has returned. It's pissing me off, Yumi," he claimed with a surprisingly calm tone. When he noticed how still she was, he continued.

"Ask yourself this question Yumi. Are you doing this to mend our relationship, to strengthen it? Or was what I said earlier more accurate? Searching for answers is fine. If you need that, I can deal with it. I'll wait for you to clear the chaos in your head, okay?" He told her.

Tears fell from her eyes. What was she supposed to say to that? All her anger and confusion had been slammed out of her in mere minutes. Was she betraying him? Should she tell him about the moment with Ulrich this afternoon? Should she try and make the best out of her relationship with William? She didn't know what to think anymore. She didn't even understand her own feelings. Everything was in turmoil.

Spending such an emotional moment with Ulrich, only five hours ago, and hearing William's words now…it was all too much. She was exhausted and almost felt like she couldn't go on. She wanted to break away and hide from all the confrontation.

William softly wiped her face with a tissue as she tried to stop crying. He pulled her closer and let her lean against him.

They sat like that for two hours, until Yumi decided to go home and get some sleep. When William stood behind her to let her out the door, she turned around to kiss him on his cheek. "Thank you, I needed this," she told him. "No problem," William said as he mimicked her previous action. He went in for another one, this time going for her lips. At the same time she had stepped forward to give him a last hug before leaving, completely unaware of his intention. William half-heartedly laughed to himself. Her timing was incredulous. "Good night, bye," she said and left afterwards. He said the same and closed his door.

Yumi walked to the elevator. When she was inside, her eyes glanced at the button for floor 10. The one where Ulrich presumably got off at last time she saw him in this building. Her finger hovered over it, before going down to hit the button for the ground floor. She was in a daze when she stepped out to go home. So many questions were floating around her.

How should she face Ulrich tomorrow? Were her feelings from this afternoon real or was it only an awakening from the past? Should she trust her emotions? What about William? He didn't deserve this. After all they had been through. Was it wiser to continue her relationship with William? It was exactly like he had said. Was this about finally letting Ulrich go, strengthening her bond with William and staying with him? Or was this going to stir up something entirely different?

Now that her feelings were all over the place, she wished she had someone other than the two young men to confide in. Someone who could help her through this. She supposed Kelly was an option. However, it didn't sit well with her. Telling Kelly about her problems, while not having told the truth about her knowing Odd felt weird.

She sighed. Overthinking wasn't going to do much good. So Yumi decided she would face whatever came her way directly. Besides, if she'd focus on her work, she would have some distraction.

Finally, Yumi continued her way home, wondering what the coming days were going to be like.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Leave your thought in a review, if you'd please :)! Next chapter, we bring a visit to ELITA... any guesses who'll be meeting there :')? You pronounce ELITA as ee-lie-ta, to make it deviate. Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7: ELITA

**A/N: Hello again! As you might have noticed, I took a break last week. I wasn't feeling well. Not sick, just a little down. No worries though, I'm back :)! This chapter is longer than any of the others :D! Also, as a bonus, chapter 8 will be uploaded on Monday or Tuesday! Originally, chapter 7 and 8 were one large chapter, but I found a way to divide it. Chapter 8 will be relatively shorter. Hence the treat. Enjoy the read! (Oh, no pun intended by the way. You'll see what I mean ;P).**

**Thank you for your reviews :)! And for the follow ;)!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi hadn't slept well. She had tried to empty her mind when she was lying in bed, to no avail. Eventually Ulrich had invaded her thoughts again. That didn't end in the morning, when she read the message Ulrich had sent her. He had offered her a ride to ELITA, since the use of public transportation would take an hour. With the additional construction work on route, her arrival would most likely be delayed. She eyed the necklace gifted by Ulrich on her night stand. Finding it too beautiful to leave it on there, she had put it on. She then accepted his offer without any further mental struggle within herself and got ready.

Now that she was on her way to the office, she felt the effects of the close to sleepless night. Her head felt heavy like a cannon ball. Yumi hoped she would be feeling more energetic by the time they would depart for ELITA.

Meanwhile Ulrich had parked his car and was on his way to the entrance when he saw a gloomy Yumi shuffling towards it as well. "Good morning, Yumi. Are you okay?" He asked, frowning when he saw her holding her head with one hand. "Good morning. I'm fine, I wasn't able to rest properly this night, that's all," she replied more grumpily than intended. Ulrich immediately thought of the afternoon before. Was that the reason? They walked to their office. Once inside, Yumi grabbed a cup and filled it with water from the tank.

He carefully approached her. "Is it because of yesterday?" He was being tentative, but Yumi snapped. "If you don't mind, I would rather not talk about it," she said. Her eyes held a fierce look. Normally Ulrich would have backed off. However, seeing they would have to spend the remaining days of the week together, he would prefer there to be no sour mood. "I'm sorry, I was only asking to make sure you weren't stressed about it," he explained. "_Obviously you are though,_" he added in his mind.

"I know, it's not only about what happened in here yesterday," she gestured to the floor. "There is more to it," she sighed. "It won't distract me from my work. I'll be careful not to make any errors." Ulrich's gaze never left her. "Yumi, that..," he stopped himself. He was about to tell her that it was okay to feel down and that nobody would hold it against her if she wasn't giving it 200%. But that wasn't true. She'd be disregarded by the others, looked down upon and probably hated for not being able to succeed in her work. He reconsidered his answer. "You don't need to overwork yourself. Your health is of importance too."

She nodded, then smirked, "are you sure we won't be working after office hours for any projects though?" Ulrich had no answer to that. "I don't know, I can't predict the future. It is possible, but we're pretty good right, so we might not need that," he was fidgeting, turning his body from left to right as he was speaking. She laughed at his attempt to come up with a satisfying answer. "Relax, I'm not made of plastic, I can take a lot, so don't worry about me," she bumped her fist against his shoulder and went to her desk to take out her breakfast. He followed her.

"Hey, I was only trying to be nice. My statement is valid enough. You didn't even eat your breakfast. It's 09:00 AM already! I might have a reason to worry," he said. A smirk was visible on his face. He crossed his arms and she looked at him, one eyebrow raised. "You try eating when you're head feels like it weighs a ton," she pointed at him with her sandwich and glared. He shrugged and let his arms fall to his side. "Do you want some coffee?" He asked, completely ignoring her. Yumi was glad he dropped the subject and a little pleased that he couldn't retort that. "Yes, with some milk and sugar please," she answered. He stepped outside and walked to the coffee machine on the table opposite their office to get their drinks.

* * *

Approximately half an hour later, it was time to leave. Both of them walked outside. They had only decided to meet up at their office, because Ulrich had to collect some papers and discuss some issues with the team. She had eaten in peace in the meantime and it had really revived her. She was happy that she made the best sandwiches. "Good food makes for a happy mood huh?" Ulrich chuckled when he saw her walking energetically towards his car. Yumi didn't hear him because he had spoken too softly. They got in the car and Ulrich typed in the address of ELITA company in the navigation system. "Let's go then," he said as he took off.

Once they arrived there, Yumi noticed the logo of the company on the building. It consisted of a pair of blue wings with the name of the company in light pink capitalized letters. She found it simple, yet full of impact. "_I wonder why,_" she thought. Then she counted the amount of floors. "Fifteen?!" Yumi said to herself. "Yeah, the genius in here managed to take over four other IT companies. Everyone has to work somewhere right?" Ulrich explained, amused by her reactions. "I guess so," she absent-mindedly replied while staring at the high building.

Ulrich and Yumi went inside and were greeted by the receptionist. He guided them to a waiting room and told them someone would come and bring them to the CEO. "This guy has a great position in the market and the trend in their shares is constantly positive. A lot of organizations want their services. I think you could say we were lucky that we had hired the former company for our own," Ulrich started. He informed her about other parts of the company, which had no relation to theirs but were still interesting to know. After ten minutes, a secretary entered the room and led them to the CEO's office.

He sent the secretary away after thanking her and put his hand on the door handle. "Here we go, I'm sure you'll be thrilled," he told her. She only looked up at him in confusion. "What do you mean?" Ulrich pushed the door open and gestured for her to go in. "Hello Yumi, long time no see," the person sitting at the desk said with a considerably deeper voice than she had ever heard from him. "Jeremie," she whispered the name and let it sink in. Truthfully, she should have known. ELITA? The logo? A genius? Ulrich talking almost fondly about the company?

"Jeremie!" She exclaimed, more excitedly this time. She went over to him and gave him a quick hug. "How are you? Wait, you should be fine, seeing that you are the CEO of this huge company," she dismissed her question. The blonde haired young man laughed. "All is great Yumi. As a matter of fact, the success of ELITA is something that does indeed play a large part, but I couldn't have done it without Aelita," he told her. "So she does work here as well?" Yumi asked, suddenly thinking about how many times the pinkette had surfaced in her mind.

"Yes, but today she starts after lunch. She has a meeting with one of our clients this morning," Jeremie stated, while getting up. He approached Ulrich, who was still standing at the door, and shook his hand. "Good to see you again as well, are things good?" Ulrich returned his handshake. "Yeah, they are," he affirmed. "Great," Jeremie added, "shall we get started then? I'll show you around first and explain along the way. Then after lunch, we'll have the second half," Yumi nodded. It was wiser to stick to business at the moment. They could catch up during lunch.

Jeremie thoroughly explained the cycles of different departments within the organization. Some were not interlinked, others were. It was clear Jeremie held an important role in all of them. He was also their main programmer, so every department that worked on any kind of software would have to relay information to him. Among other, his duties included explicitly checking whether codes were running like they were supposed to and pointing out parts that would need debugging. He was also involved in the development of new software, as well as the innovative goals they strived to achieve.

He gave them a tour of the company, starting at the top floor. As they made their way down, Yumi's admiration grew more and more. She had always known how intelligent Jeremie was, but to be able to stand there at this point in life was incredible. Ulrich had felt the same, although he was slightly less impressed than Yumi, since he had already been there a few times. At the end of the tour, on their way to ground floor, she could only tell him how wonderful she found it all.

"It's really amazing Jeremie. How did you even do all of this?" She questioned. "Thanks Yumi, it's mainly because of my dad. He convinced me to attend a college that specialized in business as well. I took many additional courses that served as basis for all that I do here. I have to admit, it was quite a lot to take in, but I gradually came to understand it all. Aelita studied along with me, so that was a big help too," he revealed. "You still did most of this by yourself, _Einstein_," Ulrich pointed out. "I can't deny that," Jeremie smoothly agreed. They laughed. Meanwhile, they arrived in the lobby.

Yumi couldn't help but envy their relationship. Aelita and Jeremie had been together for all those years, whereas she had spent most of her time – William excluded – alone. Even Ulrich stayed in contact with them. "_Something he couldn't do with me,"_ she thought suddenly disappointed again. "Shall we get some lunch?" Jeremie asked when he saw it was well past noon already. "All your smart talk has made me hungry, so I'm all for it," Ulrich joked around. "Very funny, _Stern_," Jeremie said. "Yumi, let's go to that place I mentioned before. They have one located here as well," he nudged her with his elbow. "Huh? Oh yeah, let's go," she replied, taken out of her thoughts. Ulrich frowned, but was distracted by Jeremie's words.

"I texted Aelita. She's coming to the café too," he said. Yumi's face lit up at that. "Nice!" Ulrich said in response. "It's a five minute walk from here, so just follow us Yumi. I dare say it's even better than your sandwiches from this morning." That ignited a spark in the Japanese woman. "Really? Try me," she challenged, crossing her arms. He grinned at her.

* * *

As the three of them headed towards the café, Yumi tried to contain her enthusiasm about the upcoming reunion she would have with Aelita. Abruptly, a wave of regret came over her when she thought about how she left them behind without any explanation. Some nervous feelings arose when she thought about what they would have to say about it.

Once again she was taken out of her train of thoughts by Ulrich, who tapped on her shoulder. "We're here," he said. Yumi looked over at the café and noticed Aelita standing near the entrance, about twenty meters away from their current position. All of the negative emotions she had felt moments ago disappeared in an instant. It was replaced by the happiness of seeing her old friend again.

The pinkette's height reached the height of Yumi's shoulders. She was wearing long white winter boots that stopped below her knees. She wore a tea rose coloured coat, which was unbuttoned. A dark purple thin belt was around her waist, separating a thin straight purple coloured skirt and a white blouse.

Yumi found that it suited her perfectly. It was mature, yet cute. The Japanese then turned to her left to take a good look at Jeremie. He had grown a lot as well, being half a head shorter than herself. And she was wearing heels. He wore a simple green button-up shirt, jeans and a pair of neat brown shoes. She heard Aelita's voice and returned her attention to her female friend.

"Yumi! It's been such a long time!" Aelita exclaimed while running towards her with her arms outstretched. They hugged firmly before Yumi spoke up. "Yes, it has Aelita. How are you?" She asked. "I'm fine, things are great," Aelita replied. "Glad to see you're doing so well," Yumi said.

"Ladies, shall we continue our conversation inside? I'm sure we're all hungry," Jeremie interrupted their little reunion. The two of them nodded at him and they all went inside. They seated themselves around a table. Aelita sat next to Jeremie and across were Ulrich and Yumi. When they had all ordered their drinks and lunch, they started to talk about themselves. It was mainly about how Ulrich got to his position as manager and how Aelita and Jeremie spent the last few years together.

"I can't believe _Jeremie_ was the one who asked you out," Ulrich said. Jeremie smirked. "I was quite shocked as well," Aelita joked. Jeremie was about to defend himself when Yumi decided to join in. "That's great then, that you're finally a couple. You look good together," she congratulated them. Both geniuses blushed.

"But we're not the _only ones_ who look good together," Aelita said, smiling too innocently at them. The underlying meaning was clear. Ulrich and Yumi glanced at each other. He had a slightly painful expression on his face, but it was almost unnoticeable. What was more visible, was his concern. How would Yumi react to this? Her face held a worried expression mixed with guilt. Then she hardened her expression and decided to tell them. "We're not dating. I'm in a relationship with someone else," she admitted. The duo across from them were surprised. Neither was sure of what follow up to give to that.

Ulrich broke the ice. "Too bad huh," he casually announced. The two of them gave him a sympathetic look. "Hey, we're _still _good friends, don't be sad guys," he laughed it off. "I told you right, my dad had me work myself to the bone. I haven't stayed in touch with Yumi at all after she graduated high school. You know how hard my senior year at high school was right. Afterwards, my dad 'kidnapped' me. I'm glad you guys stayed in touch with me, otherwise I would have given that up too. I know it sounds like an excuse, but things weren't fantastic. I didn't feel particularly great about how it all went. I'm just happy we're _all_ connected again, somehow," he finished speaking and saw Aelita and Jeremie nod in understanding. They both smiled.

"Luckily all is well now," Aelita told him. "Yeah, it's fine like this," Ulrich lied. At least, Yumi wouldn't have to explain her part. But Ulrich should have known better. Jeremie was too sharp to forget their previous topic. "So Yumi, who are you dating then?" She flinched. Even though she was determined to tell them, it still felt weird. She appreciated Ulrich trying to divert their attention from her. And she realized he would feel uncomfortable when she would talk about _him_, but that didn't mean she was going to hide it. "William," she firmly stated. She barely noticed Ulrich squeezing his fist.

"Oh," was Jeremie's only reply. Aelita glared at him. "How long have you been together with him?" She genuinely asked her. "Almost two and half years," Yumi answered. "That's pretty long… Jeremie and I had our one year anniversary last Christmas," she randomly stated. "How romantic," Ulrich teased. Yumi hadn't missed the pause in Aelita's sentence. She knew that Aelita had put the pieces together. It wasn't hard, considering the given time frame. Ulrich's senior year of high school had become more difficult because of what he had to go through after Yumi's graduation. The pinkette had a confused look on her face. This time Jeremie hadn't caught on and was about to ask what was wrong when Ulrich got up.

"Dessert is on me, I'll surprise you guys with something amazing," he told them and left for the counter on the other side of the café. "Excuse me then, I have to go to the restroom," Jeremie said, getting up and walking towards where the toilets were.

"So…," Aelita dragged the word out, figuring out how she would get Yumi to talk. Aelita saw Yumi was full of unease. "Are you happy?" She carefully studied her friend's reaction. "Huh? Yeah, William's been a big help. We're doing fine," Yumi answered. "That's good to hear," she said, "but are _you_ happy?" Yumi had avoided giving a direct answer, so she had repeated the question. "I can't say I'm not," Yumi told her a white lie. Aelita was not satisfied with that answer.

Like Jeremie, she was sharp as well. She just noticed different things, _little_ things. She had seen the way Ulrich and Yumi looked at each other. The frustration Ulrich tried to hide. The discomfort Yumi suddenly seemed to feel. "May I know… _why_ did you choose William over Ulrich?" Aelita asked her carefully. There was little time left before the others would return. "I don't know," Yumi lied. "Are you sure? Because I think you do know," Aelita countered. The Japanese woman opened her mouth to speak again, but was startled when Ulrich suddenly put his order on the table. While they waited for Jeremie she fidgeted with her shirt, worriedly thinking about one thing.

"_Did Ulrich hear Aelita's question?"_

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Please share your thoughts below :)!**


	8. Chapter 8: Surprise

**A/N: Hooray, I kept my promise! Thank you for your reviews :). Lovely to read them. Here is 'part 2' of the ELITA visit. As told before, this chapter is shorter than others. Any other new information wouldn't fit in this chapter. Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko :)! Nor any games that are similar to the one described! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi, Aelita and Jeremie eyed the chocolate cake in front of them. "Is that _the special_ dessert? Plain chocolate cake?" Jeremie quirked a brow. He wasn't too fond of cake. "Yeah, it's the best there is," Ulrich grinned as he handed each of them a piece. Yumi had thoroughly studied Ulrich's face for any signs that he had heard Aelita's question, but she had found none.

The young women took a bite at the same time and absolutely loved the flavour and taste. "This is really good, right Jeremie?" Aelita nudged him, teasing him. "If you say so," Jeremie did eat everything, albeit reluctantly. Aelita laughed. "Thanks Ulrich," she said.

"Told you it was good," he said, satisfied that they all liked it. "As delicious as it might have been," Jeremie began slightly sarcastic, "I'm sure Aelita will be more than happy to show you our latest project," he turned to his girlfriend, "right?" There was a spark in her eyes. "You'll definitely like it!" She beamed.

The four of them got up and went back to ELITA. Aelita led them to the classified area on the third floor. "Here we are!" She stated excitedly while showing them the spacious room. There was little lighting inside. A few floor lamps along the bottom edge of the walls provided for enough light to see where you were, but it didn't create a welcoming atmosphere. Yumi and Ulrich were confused.

Aelita started up the computer in the corner of the room and a large spherical hologram appeared from the projector in the middle of the room.

It showed a world they were all familiar with. Although there was a different vibe. Yumi and Ulrich were mesmerized by it. "This looks just like Lyoko!" Yumi said in awe. "You're right," Jeremie stepped next to her, "Aelita and I programmed this together. It indeed looks similar to Lyoko, but it's entirely different. This consists of only – what we would call it – one sector. You can say it's a mixture of the desert and mountain sectors. It contains various grounds, which makes for a great adventure."

"Adventure? So what exactly is all this for?" Ulrich asked, intrigued by the amount of detail. Aelita pressed some keys on the keyboard and the display changed to a video. "It's still a work in progress, but this will become a Virtual Reality video game. The main goal of this game is to let players feel the adventure we have been through years ago. A player will enter this world with a weapon of choice, much like how our Lyoko identities were created. They will all have the right to choose one power out of five, for example telekinesis. Then the idea is to defeat as many monsters as possible before reaching the final boss. The monsters come in waves. The increase in difficulty per level depends on the mode you choose, multiplayer or single player. For your information, the final boss is twice as hard as the Kolussus," Aelita explained.

"That sounds awesome. As expected from this pair of geniuses," Yumi complimented them. "But that's not all," Aelita added. "We've been working on a special edition of this game, a _limited_ edition," she revealed. "But it's a secret until we're completely finished," she teased. "Way to leave us hanging," Ulrich told her. "I look forward to seeing both," Yumi said. Ulrich agreed.

After the sneak peek, Aelita took over for Jeremie. He was needed somewhere else. She guided them through parts of the building they hadn't visited yet, including the video game department. "I guess you're in charge of the fun stuff," Ulrich remarked. Aelita and Yumi laughed. "No, Jeremie plays a part in every little thing," the pinkette defended her boyfriend. "I think he was being modest in the morning. He has a lot on his shoulders," Yumi shared her thoughts. "Yes, he does, but we're still getting used to it all. It's only been a few months. As time passes, I believe we'll be able to have a routine which will keep us at the top," she confidently claimed.

"I wish you all the best, Aelita," Yumi sincerely told her. "Thank you, Yumi," she smiled and checked the time. "I think it's time for us to head back to Jeremie." They returned to his office.

"Hey guys, how was the remaining part of the tour?" He asked them. "Not as boring as the first half," Ulrich joked. Yumi hit him in his stomach. "He meant, just as informative as the first half," she corrected on his behalf. "Great," Jeremie said. "Shall we get some dinner then?"

"Sound good," Ulrich said. The stinging sensation of Yumi's hit had already subsided.

They made their way over to their cars to get to a restaurant of Jeremie's choice. Yumi and Ulrich once again had silence as company in the car. "That's Einstein for you. I never doubted that he would make it big, but this is amazing," he suddenly said. Yumi understood what he felt. Anyone who heard that story would realize what they had put together was truly fantastic. "Yeah, it is," Yumi quietly concurred.

* * *

During dinner they talked about the absence of Odd. His presence would have fully completed their reunion, but none of them knew where he was. Yumi knew one thing though. "I think he might be in a relationship with the receptionist at our company. They're going to live together soon," Yumi disclosed. "With Kelly?" Ulrich confirmed. "Yes," was the reply.

"Then maybe you can ask her for his number. He changed it last year. I don't know if he failed to relay his new number to us or if he forgot, but we haven't been able to contact him via e-mail either," Aelita spoke up. "True, it's definitely strange," Jeremie said, a thoughtful expression on his face. The Japanese woman stilled. Was this going to be the moment they would demand answers from her?

But nobody did. Her relief went paired with another dose of guilt. But she shook it off.

Yumi decided not to let them know that she hadn't told Kelly she knew Odd. She'd deal with that herself. "Maybe I can…," she trailed off. The couple smiled at each other before showing Yumi their excited faces. Apparently, she was going to be working on finding a good moment to talk with Kelly, _soon_.

At the end of dinner, right before they split up into different cars, they exchanged numbers again. Only Jeremie's number had changed, because he wanted to keep work separated from his private life. So Ulrich and Yumi set Jeremie's old number to "Jeremie Work" and the new one was saved under their usually designated name for their friend.

"Well, good night and see you again soon," Jeremie said as he put his arm around Aelita to guide her to their car. "Same to you and until next time," Yumi said. Ulrich and Jeremie gave each other a firm handshake. Then the couple walked away to their car that was parked a row further. Yumi looked at the couple. They emitted a peaceful and romantic aura that put a smile to her face. "Time to go home," Ulrich said as he opened the door for Yumi. She nodded and got in.

Ulrich dropped her off at the entrance to the apartment complex she lived in. "Thanks for the rides," she said, grinning at him outside the window. He had opened it when she had stepped out of the car. "No problem," he said. Yumi lingered a second longer, before turning around to walk inside. Ulrich called out to her. "The necklace looks great on you." Yumi's hand automatically went to her necklace, her heart racing a little faster than before. She turned around again to wave at him as he drove away. No reply other than a simple "thanks" came to mind when he said that. But even that word didn't leave her mouth. She thought it a stupid response, because the gift came from him. And anything else hadn't been conjured in time.

* * *

Inside her apartment, she threw her bag on the sofa in her living room and went to take a shower. She wrapped herself in a bathrobe afterwards and walked to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. Then she plopped down on her sofa and turned on the TV. Nothing caught her interest as she zapped through all the channels. Her phone rang and she smiled at the caller's ID. "Hi Aelita," Yumi answered.

"Hey, Yumi," she heard her friend say.

"What's the matter?" Yumi asked.

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk some more. Because the last time we really talked was ages ago," Aelita told her.

Yumi smiled. She knew what Aelita was going to ask. But she was a close friend and most importantly someone she could confide in. She thanked fate for bringing her friend back into her life. Maybe she should let it all out. Maybe another insight in her situation would help her out of her current chaotic world.

"I have a better idea," she started. "Why don't you come over? You can stay the night."

"I would love to, but I haven't prepared anything to give you," Aelita referred to a housewarming gift.

"I have been living by myself long enough now. Don't worry about something like that. Let's have fun," Yumi assured her.

"Well, then I'll take you up on your offer," was the response.

"Great, I'll text you the address. See you later then," she said and hung up. She messaged Aelita afterwards and received a reply that her friend was on her way.

Yumi prepared some snacks and filled her kettle with water again. When it finished boiling the water, she made tea and poured it in a thermos flask to keep it warm. Then she sat down again, to mentally prepare herself.

She felt nervous, despite being the one who suggested it. She had wanted this, right? Someone to talk to. Aelita was apparently very willing to give up her time for this. There was no way out. Besides, wasn't it time that she straightened everything out? This wasn't only about Ulrich's sudden return in her life. Neither was it merely about their little reunion. There was the guilt she coped with for various things. Secrets she was keeping from her friends, including Kelly, for no reason. The tension that hung between William and her, which has had numerous peaks and valleys.

Yumi also had a hunch that Aelita wasn't happy with their unfinished conversation from lunch. She was feeling troubled. How much should she tell? It felt unfair to bombard her with all of her problems, when she wasn't even involved in more than half of them. Although, she did believe Aelita would listen to her no matter what, Yumi hoped that Aelita wouldn't judge her. She sighed. Wasn't her excessive thought pattern making it harder for herself?

She decided to continue reading the book she had been reading days ago, while waiting for Aelita.

Twenty minutes had passed when the doorbell finally rang. Confirming it to be Aelita through the hole, she opened the door. "Hi Yumi," she said calmly. "Hey Aelita, come in." Yumi let her friend inside. Aelita had taken off her shoes. She was holding a sports bag, presumably with necessities for the sleepover. "You can put that in the living room," she told her. Aelita nodded and walked passed her. Yumi closed the door and firmly held the handle before turning around and following Aelita to the living room. The pinkette went back to the hallway to hang up her coat. Yumi went to the kitchen to get the snacks and the tea.

"_It'll be okay,_" Yumi mentally told herself.

It was time to start solving her own puzzle, piece by piece.

* * *

**A/N: So you'll have to wait until next chapter to read Yumi's answers to Aelita's questions :)! Leave your thoughts in a review! Thanks! By the way, do you think Ulrich really didn't hear the question? I really wonder..**


	9. Chapter 9: Heart-to-Heart

**A/N: After some delay, here is chapter 9! I've been extremely tired.. so I couldn't focus. The conversation is important, so I didn't want to hurriedly finish it. Thank you for the reviews once again! New readers and old readers, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

The two women were sitting next to each other on the sofa. Yumi sat with one leg crossed, the other dangling over the edge and her body slightly turned so she could face Aelita. The latter mirrored her friend's sitting pose. They each held a cup of tea in their hands that was still too hot to drink. Yumi idly stirred her drink with a tea spoon, while Aelita blew softly to cool hers down. It was silent, yet no awkward feeling was present.

"So, how are you and Jeremie doing?" Yumi asked. She was curious what kind of romantic was hidden inside of Jeremie. "I'd say currently we're dating our work," Aelita said. They both laughed. "Yes, but work aside. Has Jeremie made any other efforts on his part except for finally asking you out?" Yumi was amused at the blush that appeared on Aelita's face. "So he's even improved in that area," she teased Aelita. "We've been on a few dates, despite the amount of time we put into our work in the company," she revealed. "One of them was really special. It was our anniversary date. Out of nowhere, he suddenly held a little speech about how much he cares about me and how much he trusts me. Then he gave me the key to his apartment. I made a joke about whether it was to practice living together. He countered with "we could do that". The only thing I could do at that moment was stare at him wide-eyed," she told Yumi.

"You're living together? Why is everyone living together..?" The Japanese woman pondered aloud. "No, no, we're not ready for that. You should have seen him after he made that remark. He had the cutest expression on his face with a blush so fierce that it only made me want to hug him. Which I did. Plus I thanked him and said we should take our time getting used to everything related to the company first. Afterwards, we can always take that step. We're still young," Aelita pointed out.

"That's true," Yumi once again admired her friend, "I haven't thought that far ahead. I'm halfway through finishing my studies. During these years I liked combining it with my current job… that would be my former job now. I don't sleep much. But after all the wake-up calls at night in the past, I think that doesn't really matter," she winked at Aelita, who giggled in return. "Don't you want to settle with William then?" That was not the question she had expected. The speed at which "no" formed as reply in her head shocked her a little, but she composed herself in seconds. "I'm not ready for that either, we're both studying and I believe it would get in our way," she answered, then grinned. "Too bad we're not all geniuses like you two."

Aelita smiled. She knew that comment wasn't said out of spite. "You know we don't excel in everything. There are plenty of areas we find hard to deal with," she said. "Yes, but you had little trouble studying. And you could support each other. William and I differ in that, so do Odd and Ulrich. It's _one of the reasons_ we all drifted apart," Yumi argued calmly. It caused a slight pause in their conversation, in which they drank their tea.

"I won't deny that. We went through some tough times, but it was wonderful to be able to be there for one another, yes," Aelita put her cup down on the little coffee table in front of the sofa. "Like you said, Odd and Ulrich also went in different directions. I bet they were lonely too, but we all stayed in contact with each other. That was a stress healer," she said. That final remark pierced through Yumi's heart. "I –" before she could say anything, Aelita carried on.

"It's okay, I know you must have had your reasons to cut off all communication with us. None of us are holding a grudge against you for that. It created more sadness than anger. We were worried about you," she gently told her. Yumi had her eyes downcast.

"When I accepted to be William's girlfriend, I wanted to start anew. It was for the best if I could forget about Ulrich. To be able to do that properly, I disconnected myself from _all_ of you. It was like I made it an obligation for myself to leave behind my past and never look back. At first, my determination was strong. William was supportive in all my actions and my parents eventually complied with my wishes to live alone. I was busy and it distracted me from my thoughts. After a few months, when I had built up a routine, the thoughts returned to haunt me. Actually, they never left at all. It was hard not having you guys there. More than once I thought about seeing you or talking to you again. Then I thought about how I'd possibly have to confront Ulrich again, even if it would have been indirectly. And I wasn't prepared for that," she began to tell Aelita her story.

"Hmm, I get why you would have chosen that option. But I will be honest with you. I think we at least had the right to know what your plans were. Especially Ulrich," Aelita reasoned with a thoughtful expression on her face.

"I would have hurt him even more than I already had. I was sure he hated me from that moment after graduation. Why would I fuel his negative emotions any further? He wouldn't have been able to pull himself together and it would have discouraged me as well," Yumi replied, putting down her cup as well.

"You know we're stronger than that. Ulrich has experienced multiple downs in his life. But hasn't he always dealt with them in his own way?" Aelita was still being patient. Yumi was clearly confused.

"This time it was entirely my fault. And it wasn't something you could fix in a few hours or days. I didn't want to see him all broken."

"That's unfair, isn't it? You were really good friends who were there for each other anytime. Today I saw it as well. Your bond is still there. You are both hiding your pain, but you're both deeply concerned about each other as well. Do you really believe you couldn't have patched things up, to find a way out and still be there for each other?" The pinkette sounded a little stern, but she wanted Yumi to face the truth.

"No... I.. don't know," Yumi hesitated. Aelita sympathized with her. She recalled the times in the past where their roles were reversed. She had always been on the receiving end. When she had just arrived at Earth, after Jeremie materialized her, Yumi had been so supportive. She always listened to her troubles and never failed to help her out of them. During all those years she stood up for her, fought for her, laughed with her and cried with her. This time, it was Yumi who needed help and she was firm in her decision to be there for her.

"Okay," she said. There was a pause again. "Yumi, I understand it's hard for you. And I'm sorry if it looks like I'm taking sides. I'm not, trust me. I only want to help you. It saddens me to see you're not doing well, while you appear to be fine outside of these walls," she gestured around them. "So, if possible, please hear me out until the end. Did you know Ulrich caught _that_ part of our conversation when he returned with the cake? Right after I asked the question he looked into my eyes for a split second. They pleaded me to stop. Not because he wasn't interested in the answer. I'm sure it's because he knew you'd be reliving the heart ache from the past, much like you're doing now," she disclosed, looking at Yumi to see her reaction.

A mixture of panic and perplexity was visible on her face. "_He _did_ hear us… and he never mentioned it on the way back. Now what do I do?!"_ She rambled on in her mind.

"If you're that worried," Aelita's voice made her refocus, "you should talk about everything. Out of all of us, he deserves to be told the entire truth the most. But that's only my opinion."

"And you think I can easily do that? Besides, I'm in a relationship with William. Now that I think about it, Ulrich and I will probably feel more awkward around each. It wouldn't even give us a chance to properly mend our friendship," Yumi furrowed her eyebrows while she thought about it.

"But, it is only due to _his_ sudden return that you've taken to organizing your thoughts right? You're trying to find cause or reasons by exploring your past decisions. It's like justifying yourself, only without final judgement. Maybe it'll finally take that load of your shoulders," Aelita touched Yumi's arm and smiled warmly at her.

"Still won't make it any easier Aelita?" Yumi grumpily told her friend.

"I never said it would be," Aelita reminded her.

"You're right," she curtly said, nodding to show her acceptance, "I'm going to talk to him… _eventually_," she decided.

"Don't wait too long," Aelita warned her. Yumi laughed nervously. "I'll try," she answered, then got up to put their used cups and plates in the sink. When she returned, she picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. "Shall we watch a movie?" She asked Aelita. "Sure!"

* * *

They finished watching the movie. After Aelita had taken a quick shower, they had both changed into their pyjamas. Then they crawled into Yumi's double bed, which she had bought on impulse when she saw it was on sale. Usually she slept on a thin mattress on the floor, like she always had. The bed was for the days she was sick or extremely tired or sore from sporting too much. She told Aelita about it and she laughed at Yumi's story. "It's very comfy, Yumi," she praised the bed. "Great right?"

Aelita was completely tucked in, only her head peeked out from underneath the blanket and Yumi found it adorable. "I bet Jeremie makes you feel even more comfortable though," Yumi teased, satisfied upon seeing the blush on Aelita's face. "Who knows," she whispered, suddenly shy. "_So he does_, huh," Yumi joked. "Yumiiii," Aelita whined. They both laughed.

The women continued to talk about all sorts of little things. Yumi was feeling very relaxed, glad they were able to converse like this. Aelita was a great friend. She always managed to listen attentively, even when Yumi felt like she was ranting. She had enjoyed the day and – save for some moments – had mostly forgotten about stressful matters. Aelita's next question had her tensed up again.

"If you're alright with it. Can you tell me the reason why you decided to accept to be William's girlfriend? Maybe once you tell someone, it won't be as hard the second time." She carefully worded her question. If she would ask her why she had chosen one over the other again, it'd put Yumi in a more difficult spot.

Nevertheless, Yumi thought hard about her explanation. "At that time Ulrich and I had a fight. Our little pact about only staying good friends was still into effect, but I don't know how many times we almost crossed that line during the years up to my graduation. So many things happened. One of the most important was, that I discovered Ulrich and Sissi had kissed… more than once," she bitterly told Aelita. "That happened about a year after we shut down the super computer. I overheard Sissi bragging to some girls. I couldn't contain my anger and walked straight to Ulrich to demand an explanation."

Aelita cut in. "He had his reasons. Sometimes it was the only way to get Sissi to help."

"That's what Ulrich told me as well. It was for the team, to buy time, to create a distraction. But he still did that willingly right? There must have been other ways. I was disappointed, at the fact that he could do that, at the fact that he hadn't told me." Yumi sounded displeased.

"Would it have made you feel any better?" Aelita asked.

"Probably not, but I would have forgiven him sooner. When the supercomputer was active we stood our ground for the decision we made. A year later, that had changed already. Naturally, the revelation affected me differently. At that point we were floating somewhere between friendship and being in a relationship. It had started to turn the tide in favour of never starting a relationship. _If he can't have faith in me and I can't trust him, should we still attempt to be together? What if it will occur again? _Thoughts like that roamed around in my head."

"Still, I had no real reason to never forgive him. I didn't want that either. After some time, we were back to our old selves again," she shifted a little and adjusted the blanket.

"What happened after?" Aelita asked.

"Similar situations," Yumi pointed out, "Ulrich would talk to girls or hang out with them just a little, and I would get jealous. Vice versa too. Even William had stopped being too affectionate and we were on the same wavelength considering our friendship. It didn't sit well with Ulrich of course. I only wanted to stay friends with both of them. However, I felt that they were silently challenging each other, silently pushing me to my limits. I realized they would never fully reach a compromise." She shifted again, trying to find a more comfortable position while continuing her story.

"So, I talked to William and Ulrich separately and requested that they make more of an effort to at least not hate each other. William responded coolly by saying he'd pay more attention. Ulrich argued that he couldn't do that, not after what William had done. We might have forgiven him, but Ulrich told me he never did and that he preferred not having him around at all. I got mad and told him off. He had made plenty of stupid mistakes for which we forgave him. William made _one_ and it's the end of the world," exasperation was audible now.

"Ulrich ignored me for a while. Stubborn as I was, I spent all of that time with William. A time during which I got to know more of William's good points. I missed Ulrich, but found comfort in William. Eventually Ulrich returned with an apology, in front of William, stating he was willing to try. I suspect one of you guys must have invoked that," when she said that Aelita suddenly looked all too innocent, "I thought so," she confirmed, smiling a little. "The guys tried, they really did… when they were together. Alone with me, the tension was high. Neither wanted to mention the subject, probably fearing I'd be angry again. That went on for a couple of years," Yumi was almost at the end of her story.

"Did anything else happen with Ulrich in those years?" Aelita was curious.

"Yes, I told you we were teetering on the edge between becoming a couple and staying friends. Even after trying to induce the peace treaty for the guys, Ulrich was still closest to me. He had suddenly become more attentive and he drove me crazy. He was being himself, certain characteristics a little toned down, and I loved it. Once, we got so close that he almost kissed me. _Almost_. That happened three months before graduation. Then, as if remembering all the 'bad' times and our pact, he had pushed me away by accident. He said it wasn't supposed to have happened. It hurt me so much. It was then that I realized Ulrich would never break off our agreement on his own, out of respect for my wishes. I was too afraid to dissolve it, too afraid to face the consequences. _What if we didn't work out_?" Yumi took a deep breath.

"On graduation day, when we'd received our diplomas, William called on his courage to ask me out. He promised me he'd make me forget Ulrich, that he would devoid my life of the constant struggle. That he would treat me with utmost care and consideration. He also told me that he really loved me, that he had never given up hope for us. He said he was thankful that I accepted him for who he was, that he wanted to show me he would do the same for me. I debated within myself. Should I continue to drag out the never-ending tug-of-war between the guys by never choosing? Did I want to keep myself occupied coping with the fear that starting a relationship with Ulrich would end in disaster?"

"I said yes, to save myself. I blame myself all the time. If I had been more rational, it wouldn't have resulted in this much emotional drama. But I couldn't wait an eternity for myself to gather the courage to say to Ulrich what I felt for him, despite the agreement. And I couldn't wait an eternity for him to break the 'rule'," Yumi's story came to an end. Tears started to slide down her cheeks.

"Does William know all of this?" Aelita carefully questioned. Yumi shook her head. "No, he doesn't. He knows a lot, but I never told him the full story. I thought it more important to build a stable relationship and so did he. We wanted to move on, desperately," she answered. "And I will never tell him," she firmly added. "But you might -," Aelita was interrupted.

"Aelita, I know what you're going to say. Even I understand it's dishonesty. However, some things are better left untold. Creating unnecessary fights is something I want to avoid. As long as I can be with him steadily, it will be fine," she stubbornly argued.

"Okay," Aelita said, "if that's what you wish." She looked at Yumi, who was wiping her tears. "_You might change your mind about it later though_, _if you're planning to tell Ulrich_," she thought.

"Thanks for hearing me out," Yumi said.

"You're welcome. I'll always listen to you. I know you'd do the same for me," Aelita said.

"Yes, I would," Yumi told her.

The pinkette stifled a yawn and she felt herself trying to do so as well, but failed. "Guess it's time to sleep," Aelita giggled after witnessing Yumi yawn. "Let's do that then," she agreed. "Good night."

"Good night Yumi."

Yumi thought about the conversations she had with Aelita this evening. All she could think about was that she was happy they could talk like this after such a long time. With that thought in mind, Yumi drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! If you've got something to say, do take it away! Next time, Delas company!**


	10. Chapter 10: DELAS Company

**A/N: Time for chapter 10. Don't have much to say, except a big thank you to my loyal reviewers. If I may call them that haha. Your words still put smiles on my face :). Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi and Aelita woke up a little later than planned. They were surprised that both had subconsciously snoozed their alarms by half an hour. "I can't believe we pressed snooze three times," Yumi said, wondering how that was possible. She was walking around the apartment hurriedly. While Aelita was in the bathroom, Yumi had prepared a simple breakfast at lightning speed and made the bed. She heard the comment when she stepped out of the bathroom. "It must have been the bed, Yumi," Aelita said. Despite the joke, she too began to hurriedly pack her things in her bag. "It was pretty comfortable after all," she added, quickly brushing her hair. The Japanese woman chuckled in response.

"Jeremie called while you were in the bathroom," Yumi informed her. "He tried your phone first, but didn't get through. So he called me. Something about an urgent meeting with some client being moved to an earlier timeslot. What was his name? Uhm.. Mr. Aibbor? Anyway, he'll come to pick you up in about fifteen minutes… now ten," she said, after looking at the time on her watch. Ulrich's gift came in handy. Yumi wasn't much of a look-at-your-phone-all-the-time person. She usually left it on the coffee table during her morning routine. If someone called or messaged, she'd hear it anyway. The watch let her keep track of time properly. Together with the necklace, it was part of her daily wardrobe now.

Aelita was surprised to hear the news. "He's a very important client. I heard he doesn't appreciate any tardiness," she stated calmly. "Luckily you have a great boyfriend who always has a back-up plan for anything. Good thing you told him you were staying over," Yumi concluded. Aelita smiled. "Okay, let's eat quickly," Yumi ushered Aelita into the kitchen, where they ate breakfast consisting of toasted cheese sandwiches and cups of tea. Aelita's phone rang when they had just finished eating. "Talk about timing," Yumi commented as her friend picked up. She walked to the sink to put away the dishes.

"Yes, we're done. I'll be down in a minute," she heard Aelita say. "I'll be sure to tell her, bye." Yumi eyed Aelita, confused. "Jeremie is waiting in the car. He said hi and hopes you have a better start of the day," Aelita clarified. "Ah, well, let's hope so from this moment onward," Yumi said. "You'd better get going then." Aelita nodded. She grabbed her bags and brought them over to the hallway, where she put on her shoes and coat. "Yumi," Aelita paused, "Remember that I'm always willing to listen to you anytime, okay?"

"Thanks Aelita." They hugged and Yumi opened the door for her. Aelita quickly walked to the elevator, waving at the same time. Yumi returned the gesture and went back inside to finish preparing for the day. Later, she double checked whether she had everything and left for work as well.

* * *

In the office it was deadly quiet. Ulrich had yet to arrive and it was nearing noon. Their visit at DELAS Company was to take place in the afternoon. Approximately two hours from now. That meant an early lunch. Yumi rummaged through her bag and got out her lunch. She was about to eat when the office phone rang. "Good morning, this is LNFIL. Yumi Ishiyama speaking. How may I help you?" she answered.

"_Hello, this is Jonathan Park. Secretary of Ms. Delm- s. May I please speak with Ulrich Stern?"_ A gruff voice could be heard through the phone's speaker. Yumi curiously stared at the phone when she heard the crackling noise through his boss' name. She decided to ignore it. They'd be meeting with her today anyway.

"I'm afraid he is not available at the moment," Yumi professionally replied. She wouldn't tell him that Ulrich still hadn't arrived. "Can I leave him a message?" She offered.

"_Would you please ask him whether it is possible to reschedule the meeting at DELAS Company? Some complications have arisen and we would be grateful if you could schedule the meeting an hour earlier," _Jonathan Park carefully revealed the information. It made Yumi think. She had no clue of Ulrich's whereabouts. He hadn't messaged or called her and she didn't know what the best course of action was.

"I will have to consult with Mr. Stern. I will call you back as soon as possible," she said. Upon hearing the man's thankful reply, she politely ended the call. Maybe Jeremie had jinxed the day? Yumi laughed to herself at the incredible situation. "Right, Ulrich… Ulrich," she said to herself as she scrolled through her contacts. Sometimes she wondered why she hadn't created any speed dials in her phone. She called him and held the phone against her ear.

"Hello?" Ulrich answered.

"Ulrich! Where are you? We have a problem," she announced and started to explain the situation.

"Tell him it's okay. Sorry I was at the house of my uncle's friend. We have a big deal coming up. I'll tell you about it later. I'll come pick you up in ten minutes," Ulrich assured, then hung up. Yumi proceeded to relay the good news to Jonathan Park. He was very grateful and looked forward to their meeting in an hour.

She sighed in relief.

Precisely ten minutes later Ulrich entered their office. "A little heads up as to why you weren't at work would have been nice," were the words Yumi chose as greeting. She crossed her arms. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was in a hurry in the early morning and forgot," he replied, grinning awkwardly. "Are you ready?" He checked with her. "Have been for _hours_," she joked. "Hilarious of you," he said sarcastically. Yumi merely shrugged.

* * *

DELAS Company was a lot brighter than their own. People had contagious smiles and laughter could be heard in every corner. Everyone seemed very friendly. Yumi wondered whether the reason was its branch. It was a marketing company after all. Selling their services with smiles certainly seemed to be a good approach to gain customers. However, the people also appeared to be enjoying their job. "Not what you expected?" Ulrich asked when he saw Yumi taking in their surroundings.

"That's not it, just thinking about how they all seem so happy here," she shared her thoughts. "I noticed that too the first time I came here," he said. "Guess it's part of their jobs huh." Yumi nodded.

They saw a short man, dressed in a black suit, moving towards them. When he stood in front of them, Yumi noticed the name on his company card. _Jonathan Park_. It was the secretary she spoke to this morning.

"Hello, you must be Ulrich Stern and Yumi Ishiyama," he confidently said. Their own company cards were visible to anyone, so it wasn't difficult to confirm it was actually them. "That would be us," Ulrich said, extending his hand towards the man, "And you are?" Yumi had to stifle a chuckle when she saw that the man had to tilt his head up a lot to look at Ulrich. "I'm Jonathan Park, sir. Secretary of Ms. Delmas," the man introduced himself. The last name caught Yumi by surprise. It wasn't who she thought it would be, right? She glanced at Ulrich. Her face gave away her worries. Then she quickly composed herself, before Ulrich would see.

After the introductions, Jonathan led them to his boss' office. He softly knocked on the door to alert her of their presence. "Ms. Delmas, Ulrich Stern and Yumi Ishiyama have arrived," he announced as he entered the office. "Good, lead them to the room at the end of the hallway and start up the presentation please," a sweet voice instructed him. "I'll be there in a few minutes," she added.

Jonathan brought them to the meeting room and proceeded to start up the computer, while they took adjacent seats at the left side of the huge half- moon table in the room. Ms. Delmas made her entrance not too long after. "Let me first properly introduce myself," she began as she approached Ulrich and Yumi from the space in the middle of the table. They had risen from their seats upon seeing the woman. She shook their hands as she told them: "I'm Cindy Delmas, CEO of DELAS Company. I heard you had planned a visit, but I didn't expect someone to tag along."

Ulrich eyed the woman. It didn't matter how much you looked at her. Anyone who knew Sissi Delmas would be able to tell that this woman was her mother. But that didn't mean he would ever address her casually. She wouldn't appreciate that anyway. She was a true business woman. "Ms. Delmas, this is Yumi Ishiyama. She is my secretary," he said, pointing to Yumi with his hand. "Pleasure to meet you," Cindy politely said. "Likewise," Yumi responded. "Jonathan, you can start the presentation for the new project," Cindy told her secretary.

When Jonathan finished the presentation, Yumi had a clear image of the company's goals and their methods to achieve those. "Do you have any questions?" Cindy asked the two of them. Ulrich shook his head and looked at Yumi to see her doing the same. "Great! I personally hope to make this one of my best projects, so I hope you're up for some hard work," she enthusiastically exclaimed, directing her last words to Jonathan. He nervously laughed. Yumi quirked a brow. "Guess she's equally cheery as the rest of them," she whispered to herself. Ulrich heard her though and smiled. "I hope you will be able to _provide_ _us_ with your excellent services this time as well, Ms. Delmas," Ulrich lightly emphasized. The woman laughed. "Consider it done," she told him.

"Jonathan, give them a little tour. Show them we will be able to handle it. As for you two, until next time," she said, as she left the room. Jonathan had turned off the computer and was about to tell Ulrich and Yumi to follow him when a high pitched voice was heard outside the door. "Mother! I cannot believe your secretary send me away on an errand that was already completed!"

Yumi knew that voice. She looked at Ulrich. The expression on his face told him he had recognized the voice as well. No doubt about it, that voice belonged to Sissi Delmas. "Hello Sissi _dear_," her mother greeted her, "I'm sure you must have misunderstood." Apparently Sissi wasn't happy with her mother's reply. "Excuse me, sending me to retrieve files from a customer that had them _sent over here_ is not something I call a misunderstanding. He must have done it on purpose!" She screeched. "Can you please calm down?" Her mother requested.

"Jonathan?!" Cindy called her secretary over. "Is what Sissi says true?" The short man came out of the room. The first thing he noticed was the furious daughter of his boss. "Well, I did send her to get some files. But I'm positive that customer had insisted someone came to pick up his granddaughter's files, because he was feeling terribly weak. It was an old man, in his seventies, I can't say no to that right?"

"You heard him," she told her daughter. "But, I went to the address he wrote down for me and there was a woman in her twenties telling me she already sent the papers," Sissi complained while holding out the paper with the address. "You see, number 18," she jabbed the piece of paper in the air, stressing her point. "That's not 18, it's 78," Jonathan claimed. Sissi blankly stared at him. "You have got to be kidding me. Mother..," she pleaded. "We all make mistakes, _dear_, let it go. It looks like a 78 to me too," she said.

"Ugh, I will get you back for this. I know you did this on purpose," Sissi pointed at Jonathan this time. He looked at her with a smirk on his face, hidden from his boss' view. "See! Look at him!" She said. "Wipe that smirk of your face!" She demanded. When Cindy looked back, she saw a neutral expression on her secretary's face. "Sissi, why don't you wait inside my office while I'll talk to Jonathan for a bit. Our visitors can't be kept waiting too long now," she said.

"What visitors?" Sissi asked. "Mr. Stern and his secretary," Cindy answered. Then she realized what information she had presented to her daughter. "Ulrich's here?!" Sissi suddenly beamed. "Yes, for _business_," her mother strictly told her. But Sissi ignored her mother and walked right passed her inside the meeting room. "Ulrich! It's been so long. Did you miss me?" She happily spoke up upon seeing him. "Uh, hey Sissi," he awkwardly replied. "You should visit more often. I get bored doing all the paper work for my mother," she stated, frustration visible on her face.

"I'm quite busy, so that won't happen," he immediately let her know. "You should still try," she decided for him. Then her gaze went to the Japanese woman, who was silently standing beside Ulrich. She watched the conversation between the two former grade mates. "Well, well, who do we have here? Miss disappear-without-a-trace." One probably wouldn't call that the best greeting in the world. "Hello Sissi," Yumi said with a grim expression. She was surprised to find out that Cindy Delmas was Sissi's mother. With her father as principal of Kadic academy and her mother as classic business woman, you'd expect Sissi to have a serious nature too. But that inheritance had most likely failed.

"You have some nerve to come back into Ulrich's life. In anyone's life actually. Why are you here?" She demanded to know. "I'm sure you heard Ms. Delmas say she is my secretary," Ulrich spoke up before Yumi. "_So_? Isn't that messed up? How did she even get that position? I tried as well and I wasn't even selected for round two!" Her loose hair swayed from left to right in line with her movements. Sissi was ultimately frustrated that Yumi had returned. She couldn't accept that. Just when Ulrich had finally started to talk to her normally.

"From what I heard," Yumi started, "you decided to leave Ulrich alone after graduation, in order for him to be able to focus. And didn't you voluntarily back out of the selection procedure? Ms. Delmas had offered you a better position and you were eager to take that, right?" She accused her. "Well, that… is true, but I wasn't one of the favourites anyway. Now I see why," Sissi said. Yumi was surprised to hear her admit that. It made her feel bad about treating her as an enemy. "_Maybe she should have held back a little."_ She thought.

"You came back for nothing. What use can you be to Ulrich? You'll only disturb or distract him. He won't be able to focus with you around. Shouldn't you be out there studying something Japanese? And stay out of our lives for our sakes?" Sissi retort made her change her mind. "_Or not_?" She added to her previous thought.

"I must say, I'm flattered you remember that I'm Japanese. It means a lot," Yumi's sarcasm was clear. "If you must know, I worked at LNFIL before Ulrich did. As someone who knew the company well already, I was considered to be a good choice." Defending herself felt wrong. Why the hell should she have to explain to Sissi what, how or why things happened?

"That's enough," Ulrich said. The women looked at him with annoyed expressions on their faces. Ulrich held up his hands, showing he didn't want to interfere. Yet he did anyway. "Both of you haven't seen each other in a long time. There is no reason to fight. Sissi is not the person she used to be, Yumi. And Yumi is doing all she can to make up for her past mistakes, Sissi." He sighed. This reminded him of discussions they had in the past. "You're defending her Ulrich. Be more careful. She'll ruin you otherwise," Sissi claimed. She spared no second glance at Yumi and turned around to walk out of the room. "Bye Ulrich, see you next time," she said, looking dejected. She had wanted Ulrich's visit to lift her foul mood. Unfortunately for her, that foul mood was currently twice as bad.

* * *

Yumi crossed her arms. She was absolutely pissed. Ulrich might have defended her, but he stood up for Sissi at the same time. "You could have told her to shut up. It's obvious she wants me gone, but she could have kept it to herself," she told Ulrich as they walked back to his car. Jonathan had given them a quick tour through the company, but she hadn't paid close attention. "If you knew she was just letting off steam – as usual – why did you react to her every word?" Ulrich tried to reason, all the while thinking he wanted to desperately avoid a fight with Yumi over this. "She has no right!" Yumi yelled. "She shouldn't have judged me without any knowledge about my life."

"That's what people do when they don't know a thing about others, Yumi. You did it too. I did so as well. I understand that Sissi might have done it a lot. But her unbearable characteristics have faded a little over time. I'm not saying I like her, nor am I friends with her. And only talk when I'm involved in their projects. However, she isn't worth getting worked up over. Let her be. I'll deal with her if things get difficult," Ulrich assured her. "_For you_," he thought.

"Why are you so cool about it all?" Yumi asked. She couldn't believe it. "Isn't it bugging you?" Why had everyone found peace in their lives, except for her? "It does. A lot. I just don't feel like engaging myself into those kinds of conversations. She saps out your life energy, you know. I'm tired of making snide remarks at her. What do I gain from that other than her rebuttal? So I decided. I'll ignore that part. She became calmer. It's quite something to put up with at times. At least it means no more cat vs. dog fights for me," Ulrich explained.

Yumi respected that he was being mature about it. She knew her attitude had been wrong. Being swept away by strong emotions had caused her to react the way she did. She started to feel guilty again. At this rate, she was more trouble to Ulrich than he would ever let on. "I'm sorry," she softly said, "I should have known better." Now she felt embarrassed at having shown that side of her in front of Ulrich and Sissi.

"It's okay," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "I'll tell you a few secrets I discovered about her and her mother. You'll forget what happened in no time," he told her. Yumi looked at him, curious what he had to say. Ulrich started to let her in on things that he picked up from other workers in DELAS Company. Yumi laughed at all of his stories that he continued to tell inside the car. She didn't even notice she was back home, until Ulrich told her they were there.

"Thanks Ulrich," she genuinely said. "Told you," he replied. Yumi wanted to repay him in some way. She definitely should have kept her calm in front of Sissi. Now she had given Sissi the satisfaction of riling her.

"Do you want to stay over for dinner? I'll make you a great one as thanks for the funny stories," she suggested. Ulrich contemplated. "Sure, I'm starving. Forgot to eat lunch today," he revealed. Yumi chuckled. "Were you that occupied?" She asked. "Oh yeah! I forgot to inform you about that big project I was talking about earlier," he said, giving himself a face palm. "You could tell me during dinner," she offered. "I guess I could huh," he complied, ignoring the thoughts in the back of his mind that were telling him this was a bad idea. "Great, come on," she said. Yumi smiled. It had been a while since she had cooked someone a good meal. The breakfast from this morning didn't count.

"I hope you really cook as well as you claim," Ulrich said, while he stepped outside and locked his car. "You'll see," was her reply. They made their way to her apartment. Ulrich was silently relieved he hadn't told her about the project yet. He was glad they could spend time together like this without the usual tension. And he hoped that it would continue to be that way.

* * *

**A/N: Tired now... posted this after midnight. So.. see you next week :D!**


	11. Chapter 10,5: Cooking Dinner

**A/N: This week's a special update. I'm posting a sort of omake chapter. It still fits in the timeline, but there is no progression of the main story in this. I'm still figuring out a few things for chapter 11 and 12. In the meantime I hope you enjoy this mini chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

"So, what are you going to cook?" Ulrich asked after they had entered Yumi's apartment.

"Omurice. I'll make a few of them," Yumi said.

Ulrich gave a nod of approval. "Do you want to help?" She asked him.

''I'm not sure if that's such a great idea," he started to refuse, but Yumi merely laughed at him. "Come on, you can't be that bad with a knife. If you can master the use of katana's, you can cut these vegetables in tiny pieces too," she pointed at the food on the table. "Try to cut them in really small pieces okay? Otherwise the omurice will break," she told him.

"Are you making me help to have someone to blame if it tastes or looks horrible?" Ulrich grumpily began to work on the vegetables. "Maybe," she said, jesting him. She was rinsing the rice with cold water, before putting it in the rice cooker. After she made sure it was on, she moved on to the eggs. Ulrich shrugged. "What do I do with you?"

She quirked a brow, amused at his reaction. "Hopefully nothing evil," was her answer. She started to stir the egg whites and yolks in a bowl to a smooth looking yellow liquid. The addition of a few spices would make it a perfect top layer for the omurice. "Let's just say that depends on how the food turns out," he joked, making Yumi laugh again. "Don't worry, I told you I'm a great cook. Even if you destroy my vegetables, I'll save the dish," she said, waving her hand about to emphasize that she had already finished two tasks. He was still struggling with his first.

He glimpsed her smiling face and suddenly felt content. They were having a good time doing something he never thought could happen at this moment.

"Okay, slowpoke. Can you finish before the rice is done?'' She looked at her watch. "You've been at it for ten minutes. The rice will be done in five more." Ulrich appreciated that she wore his gift as much as she did. He had felt a mixture of satisfaction and relief when he saw that she chose to wear it. "Yeah, I'm done." He handed her the knife and revealed properly chopped vegetables behind him.

"See, I told you. Easy right?" She referred to his handy work. "Now it's fry time!" She was a little more excited than usual. She was cooking for someone again after quite some time, so she hoped it would turn out delicious.

Ulrich leisurely watched her stir-fry the rice with his chopped vegetables in a pan. After that, she carefully poured in the egg mixture in another pan and patiently waited for the right timing to put on a portion of the stir-fried rice. She wrapped it up nicely and repeated the process twice. In the end, three omurice were presented on the table on three plates.

"Well," he gulped, "that looks good." Yumi gave herself a pat on her shoulder. "I know right," she agreed. "It's not over yet," Ulrich pondered, "If it tastes excellent, I'll treat you to lunch or dinner for New Years," he said.

"Deal," Yumi called it. "You'll lose anyway," she smirked. Ulrich glared at her, then glared at the food, daring it to taste 'only' good, not supreme. "Let's eat," he said, almost digging his fork in.

"Wait!" She quickly exclaimed. "At home we have a tradition of writing something on the omurice with ketchup. Usually the one that picks the shortest piece of paper will have the honour to do so. Since there is only two of us, let's just play rock, paper, scissors," she suggested, holding out her fist to start the game.

"If you say so," he said, copying her hand's position. "Winner gets the ketchup," he told her. She nodded.

"Rock, paper, scissors!" They said in unison. Yumi held out paper, while Ulrich held out scissors.

"My win," he pointed out.

She gave him a fake smile and handed him the ketchup bottle. "Don't mess up."

Ulrich thought about what he could possible write on the three omurice. He had enough inspiration. Yumi was standing in front of him with an – in his eyes – adorable look on her face as she worried about whether or not he would ruin the dish. "You care so much for your food, Yumi," Ulrich snickered. "Well, excuse me for not wanting my precious food to go to waste," she said, crossing her arms and turning slightly away from him.

"_Cute_," Ulrich smiled to himself while she was not looking at him. A thought went through his head, but he shook it off. "_Not the most brilliant idea in the world, Ulrich_," he thought.

"Okay, I've got it," he announced. Yumi returned her attention to him as he carefully wrote with ketchup. "Done," he said. They admired his work. "You did pretty well, for a first-timer," she acknowledged. "Thanks." He was glad that he hadn't messed it up.

The words on the three omurice formed a sentence.

_Odd is crazy._

They looked at each other, then started laughing. "You couldn't have thought of anything else?" Yumi said in between her laughs. "Nope, I figured this would suffice," Ulrich said. "Really now?" It was a rhetorical question. Yumi took a seat across from Ulrich. They started to eat their dinner.

Ulrich had wanted to respond to her last words, but withheld his "_no_". The explanation he would have to give afterwards, would have put Yumi in a bind. That was something he wanted to prevent the most.

He glanced at Yumi. The three words he had meant to write down were far more meaningful than Yumi could have ever imagined at that point.

_I love you._

* * *

**A/N: A chapter for your thoughts :P? Next time the continuation of the main story.**


	12. Chapter 11: Sweet and Sour

**A/N: Hello! It's been a while. I've been extremely tired the past week, but I finally got to writing the chapters. The next chapter will be up on Sunday evening! Hope you like the chapter :)!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

"I'll admit it. You're a great cook," Ulrich said after they finished dinner at Yumi's place. She gave him a winner's smile. During dinner they had spoken of the big project which would have its kick-off in January. After that Yumi shared the story of how Aelita stayed over. "That's nice. I bet she was excited about seeing you again. I know I was anyway," he casually said. Yumi stared at him, but there was no embarrassment visible on his face. She chose to ignore the statement. "I'm glad you were all this accepting of my return to the group," she said, a softness to her tone. She was very appreciative that her friends were so understanding.

Ulrich had talked a lot to the rest of the group about his struggles concerning Yumi. At first, he avoided the topic because he couldn't bring himself to let Aelita, Jeremie and Odd in on his feelings. Especially not when they were so complicated and intense. After a little stimulation from all of them he eventually opened up. He had to concede. It felt right having told them everything. So he understood what Yumi was going through to a certain extend. Even if she – he was sure that she had – only told Aelita how she truly felt about everything.

"We talked a lot during the time you weren't there," he began. "We all took your sudden disappearance pretty hard. I think it was all so natural for us, you know, being together as a group. Never did we stop to consider that you would actually be the first to go on your own way. Especially not the way you did." He briefly looked at her as she picked up the plates and put them in the sink. "But," he added, "we don't hate you for it. After all those talking sessions we focused on graduating as well. The group split up, but maintained contact. Besides, our wish to someday see you again came true."

Yumi was quiet for a while, doing the dishes in the meantime. Ulrich took this moment to return to the living room. Yumi followed, after having cleaned up. "I think I might have wanted some time to myself after what happened _after my graduation_," she referred to the scene Ulrich had witnessed. He stared out the window. "I guess you did," Ulrich said. His reply held no emotional tone. "I know it was wrong. I've been feeling guilty about it for years. So many thoughts were swirling around in my head and I wanted to find peace. I missed you guys, more than you might think. But I couldn't bring myself to contact you all after hurting you like that," Yumi saw Ulrich's jaw was clenched, but looked away and focused on getting her feelings across.

"It sounds stupid. I know! We didn't have the kind of relationship where you can walk out on each other like it's nothing. Our friendship is strong enough to overcome things like this. Yet, it felt like I had betrayed you all. Why would you want to have me back into your group when I was that selfish?" Yumi sounded confused. And Ulrich was confused.

"Aren't you blowing this out of proportion?" He bluntly stated. "You haven't destroyed our lives, have you? It's not betrayal," he paused and gulped, then continued, "I think you're confused. Do you have any idea how much we thought about this? You make it sound like we kicked you out, Yumi. To us, it's like you never left. Though I can't speak for Odd, I believe the two geniuses are with me on this. You needed time, right? You chose to do that without our help. That's fine. You ought to be able to do that independently. But, if - and I'm only saying _if _\- you had wanted us there, we would have been. All of us refused to think along the lines of "She didn't trust us enough" or "Why couldn't she confide in us?" We were simply worried." Ulrich slowly sat down on the sofa. Yumi stood in the middle of the room, stunned to silence.

"That doesn't mean the thoughts weren't there," she whispered. "It means we chose to believe in you rather than blame you," Ulrich immediately said. "I already told you, we had a rough time. Please, stop trying to push yourself away from us." His request took all of Yumi's willpower to stop herself from crying. "Okay," she gave in. "I'm sorry," she added, staring at her white socks. She went over to the sofa to sit next to him. She thought about her conversation with Aelita, in which her friend also revealed how worried they had all been. They had also been disappointed, but without any grudges. Then she thought about how Ulrich always dealt with his problems by himself as well. The difference between them was that he always returned to the group, trying his best to explain himself. Even though it was hard for him to open up to his friends. Usually, she would have done so too, mostly with the help of Ulrich. Somewhere, she found it incredible that her role of giving pep talks was no more. Instead she was continuously on the receiving end of them now. She glanced at him again. He appeared to be frustrated.

Then another thought surfaced in her mind. Ulrich had paused after saying they didn't view her actions as betrayal. "How have _you_ been Ulrich?" She genuinely asked. Her voice suddenly filled with a matching amount of concern her friends held for her. He frowned. "Fine," his reply was exactly the same as it was at their reunion. "Are…are you sure?" Yumi carefully asked, probing for more. "Don't you know already?" His response was cold as ice. "_I should have predicted that,"_ she thought to herself. "You've been on my mind constantly for a long time, Yumi," he disclosed and locked his gaze with hers. "I'm sure you know why," he said. His expression was so fierce that she didn't dare to avert her eyes.

"I'm sor-," her apology was cut short. "Don't," he warned her. "Will you listen to me?" She ignored him, almost begging him to hear her out. Ulrich's reluctance was practically oozing out of him. "I'm not interested in hearing about William," he replied. Yumi was annoyed. "If you can forgive Sissi, why can't you forgive William?" He eyed her with disbelief. "Of all the things you could tell me, _that_ is your question?" Yumi felt like slapping herself for asking such a stupid question. However, now that it had slipped out, she might as well press for answers. Although, this time she wouldn't turn it into an argument. "I was only wondering why," she explained.

"So you really need me to spell it out for you? Don't you think Sissi and William have two immensely different impacts on us? You were jealous of Sissi, right? Likewise, I couldn't stand William for being around you. But where I didn't even begin to acknowledge Sissi's presence, you did fully accept William. I know you were afraid I was going to return Sissi's feelings, but let me be clear. The only one I ever felt anything for was you!" Yumi was completely taken aback by the revelation, but she had no time to react. Ulrich went on. "You were almost as close with William as you were with any of us. I saw you laughing and joking around with him. I have nothing against your friendship. It's how close you were that triggered my dislike for him. There I was, not able to convey my feelings, while he could spout out anything and you'd be smiling about it." He leaned backwards, ruffling a hand through his hair, then sighed.

Yumi hated to admit it, but it all sounded plausible. He was right. She hadn't been willing to look at the situation the way Ulrich seemed to. "_Come on, Yumi. He was honest with you. Tell him your side of the story,_" a voice in her head told her. She took a breath. "I thought it was possible for William and you to be friends," Yumi started out calmly. "Remember, I tried to mediate between you guys. I wished that would have solved your dispute. But I realized at some point that wouldn't happen." Ulrich let out a snort of disgust. "Yeah, well, we were never meant to be. Not much to be done about that," he claimed. "There were moments you guys were in synch with each other, so I had reasons to believe it," she countered.

"Our motives were pretty similar at times," Ulrich watched her confused expression. "Keeping you safe.. out of trouble.. _close_," he summed up. "Ah." It dawned on her that she was the reason for their objectives.

The urge to continue to the conversation was great, but it was interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell. She sat still, a little unwilling to get up to check who was standing there. "Shouldn't you go see who it is?" Ulrich jutted his head in the direction of the door. "Right," Yumi moved towards the door and peeped through the hole. Her eyes went wide with surprise. "Hang on!" She shouted towards the door, "I'll be right there!" She hurried back to Ulrich.

He didn't need an explanation. Yumi's body language said enough. William was in front of the door and his presence was going to be the worst disturbance her boyfriend could think of. "Great," his sarcastic remark wasn't appreciated. "Well.. now what?" Yumi stared at him. "_Yes? Now what? William is definitely going to misunderstand this. Ugh, maybe I shouldn't have invited him over. But you were going to sort things out… we were so close. I hadn't expected myself to talk about it with him _today_. What will William think..? I can't very well hide him, that's just weird and asking for unnecessary trouble._" Her thought process was halted by Ulrich, who made his way over to the front door.

Yumi blocked him, arms spread wide. "Wait, what are you planning?" He gently lowered her arms and smiled. "Do you think it's funny? Do you think it serves me right?" She furrowed her brows in anger. But Ulrich only shook his head and put his hand on her head. "You didn't do anything wrong, right?" He shrugged. "If he wants things clarified, isn't that simple? At least, I haven't noticed something that could be considered out of the ordinary in our time spent together here. Just tell him, no worries." Yumi was dazed by his easy going attitude. Wouldn't he normally flip out about this? Storm the door? Be more annoyed?

She was so bewildered that she automatically nodded in agreement. "Good, see you tomorrow then," Ulrich told her as he put on his shoes. Yumi was still merely capable of nodding. She went over to the door and opened it, to let him out. "Bye, Yumi," Ulrich lightly caressed her back, stepped out from behind her and walked out. William glared at him. A glare that Ulrich returned for a split second before going to the elevator. William followed him with his eyes. "Aren't you coming in?"

He slowly shifted his gaze to Yumi, who appeared to be normal. He didn't say anything. Was it because he couldn't find the right words to say? "Hello? Earth to William?" Yumi snapped her fingers in front of his face. "Huh, oh yeah. Hey Yumi," he was back to his cheerful self. She let him inside and closed the door, while he strolled to the living room and plopped down on the sofa. "So how have you been holding up? Still cramming for that killer exam next week?" She asked him.

"_She's acting almost too normal. I should be happy, but…," _William sighed. "Don't even start! I still have five chapters to go. But I'm at my limit, which is why I came to see you," he said. Yumi laughed. "And I suppose you want a cup of warm milk now, so you can fall asleep on my sofa?" William smiled. "No, I want you to sit here with me," he pulled her next to him and hugged her with one arm, "and tell me how your week has been so far." Yumi wriggled out of his grasp, but he held on to her again. "It was nice. ELITA is a fine company. They had some cool stuff. But you'll never guess who we ran into during the other company visit," Yumi told him the story.

"Wow, small world huh," he too was surprised to hear that Sissi somehow got back into their lives. "I hope we won't be seeing her a lot," Yumi said. Her lips were pressed together in a thin line. She hated the idea of constantly meeting her.

"So," William dragged out the word, "why was Ulrich here?" Yumi stiffened for a few moments. "Well, he had a meeting with a client that's involved in a big project, which will start in two weeks' time. We're meeting the designer for that project the day after tomorrow. Anyway, since we were busy with the company visit today, I invited him over for dinner so he could explain all the details."

She was nervous. What was his reaction going to be? "Sounds exciting though, a big project. Wish I could be doing something useful instead of cramming for some stupid paper," he said, releasing an exaggerate sigh. Yumi noticed he avoided that one detail, but didn't underline it any further. She stared at him, one eyebrow raised. "Studying isn't useful then? Then what have I been doing all these years?" Yumi put on a thoughtful expression, deliberately making fun of him. He had an amused expression. "But you're right, it's a bit exciting. I've never been part of such a process before. I'm looking forward to it." William eyed her smiling face.

"Is that because you're working with Ulrich?" He asked out of the blue. Her smile faltered and she sat back. "Excuse me?" He turned to face her. "I asked you if the reason you're looking forward to it is Ulrich," William's dryly remarked. "I heard you the first time," she said, "I'm just wondering why you came to that conclusion." They stared at each other. William's hard gaze irked her. "I told you to keep your distance from him. This won't do you any good. Or are you welcoming him back into your life?" He voiced his annoyance.

"It's not like it's going to be a daily happening. This project's important for the company, so we don't want anything to go wrong. It's better if all points have been sorted out beforehand," Yumi defended herself. Why was she always on the defensive side?

"Sure, that's fine, but you didn't have to do it here, right?" It was like a challenge. Give a reply that he doesn't like and the bomb will go off. Too bad Yumi didn't care about that at this point.

"It was just a friendly gesture. Don't try to find any other meanings behind it," she snapped at him.

"You're not heeding my warning. I don't want you to be hurt by him again," William reached out for her, but she evaded him. "_It was me who hurt him,"_ she thought. "I think we're professional enough not to let the past get in the way of our work." Her pride was kicking in. She wasn't going to back off to make him think he's right all the time. Besides, Ulrich had a valid point. Nothing happened.

"Suit yourself Yumi," he grumpily replied. She crossed her arms. When was this going to stop? Once again she thought about a difference between Ulrich and William. Ulrich would always start off with stressing how he didn't want to talk about anything related to William. After that he would reluctantly converse with her. Something he never did in the past. Whereas William was quick to connect anything to Ulrich lately, which got on her nerves a lot. That started about a year into their relationship and she was curious for the reason.

He suddenly got up. "Let's just go out, watch a movie or something. I feel the need for oxygen running through me," he said. And like that, their argument was over. "_What? You wanted to tell me off that badly?"_ She glared at him, without any malice. "Sure, I'll grab my bag." She could use some fresh air herself.

When Yumi was about to lock the door, someone cleared his throat behind them. "Why are you still here?" William asked. She turned around, confused. "Ulrich?"

* * *

**A/N: The title of this chapter refers to Yumi's feelings. Ulrich and William give her plenty of both. Please leave your thoughts :)!**


	13. Chapter 12: The Gift

**A/N: It's still Sunday... somewhere haha. It's pretty late and I'm tired. Please forgive me for any errors. If you find any, I'll correct them. Thanks for the reviews! It's really nice to see :)! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

The brunet awkwardly scratched at the back of his head. "I forgot my phone," he said. "That's pretty stupid," she teased him. "_Especially since you seem to never forget it,_" she thought and frowned. "I don't remember seeing it. But I'll go look for it, you guys wait here," she said. "It'll be quicker if we all look for it. What does it look like?" William pressed on instead. He was against the idea of being alone with Ulrich. "It's a Samsung, with dark brown cover," Yumi instantly replied. William was visibly surprised. "I've seen it a lot this week," she clarified, while hiding her blush by quickly turning around to unlock the door again.

Ulrich wished he wasn't here at the moment. But he really needed to find _it_. Of course he hadn't forgotten his phone. It was the gift Yumi had given him for Christmas. The one she had kept for him. It had fallen off somewhere in her apartment. He was sure he had been wearing it when he had entered. Ironically she had thought of giving him an accessory as well. He would search for that with lightning speed and leave as soon as he found it.

Yumi went inside first, William followed and he was last. "Okay, it can be in the hallway, kitchen or living room," she considered their options. "I'll look here, you can search the hallway," she pointed to Ulrich, "which leaves the kitchen for you," she pointed at William. "Let's just hurry up and find it," he directed his words to Ulrich, then mumbled something inaudible and walked into the kitchen.

"You never forget your phone," she quickly whispered to Ulrich, while taking off her coat. Something stung her and she tried to find the source. But nothing was amiss with the piece of clothing. "I know.. it's the bracelet. When I adjusted my watch on my wrist, it must have caused it to fall off," he spoke softly as well. "But I could have given that to you tomorrow. You could have messaged me." She looked around, trying to spot his bracelet. "I thought you weren't wearing it," she suddenly said. "I'm _always_ wearing it. The watch holds it back, so you can't see it," he replied, avoiding eye contact. Yumi blinked once, twice.

William returned. "It's not in the kitchen," he said, throwing his thumb backwards. "Have you found it?" They both shook their heads, failing to verbally respond. Right then, Ulrich spotted it. He glanced at William. Hadn't he noticed that at all? That was a miracle. He'd certainly have inquired after its owner. He tried to warn Yumi with his eyes, without success. "What, do you have some sort of mini phone? Or is this a way to spend more time with Yumi?" William's childish remark was jabbed at him. Yumi rolled her eyes. "Is that all you can think of? Help us look for it," she was exasperated.

"Whatever," William searched the sofa and coffee table. She watched him with an unreadable expression, then moved to the walnut cupboard on which her TV was placed. While William wasn't paying attention to both of them, Ulrich tapped her shoulder. She turned to him and saw his relieved face. "What?" She mouthed. "It's stuck on your back," he whispered in her ear. It sent tingles all over her. Ulrich thought it must have happened when he put his hand on her back.

"Good thing I saw this first," he stood behind her and fumbled with the bracelet's hook. Ulrich held back a chuckle. "This is beyond strange," his voice caused a heat wave within. "Did you get it?" She asked him. Not seeing his face was heightening her senses. "Yeah," he showed it to her before covering it with his sleeve. Then he took out his phone. Yumi tried her absolute best not to laugh out loud. Ulrich had hidden his phone under his shirt at his side, the top of his pants keeping it from falling.

"Got it," he announced. William had apparently taken to searching underneath the sofa. Yumi previous bad mood was replaced by amusement at his crawling pose. "Great," he said, walking to the front door. Ulrich and Yumi went after him.

"Sorry for the hassle," Ulrich spoke up. "No problem, we found your phone. That's important," she told him. Ulrich thanked her, said bye and left.

Yumi locked her door again. "Let's go," William said, pulling her along. "Are you mad?" She asked. "No," his short answer held a lot of frustration. "I just think it's weird. You don't leave your phone behind. Especially not if you're a businessman," he suspected Ulrich of having done this on purpose to disrupt them. "It can happen. I've seen a lot of people who forgot their phones, papers or even their bags during my time as receptionist," she told him. "He might have had other motives," William went on. "I doubt that he'd do anything with you around," the words were out of her mouth before she had thoroughly thought of what they could indicate.

"I mean," she frantically waved her hands about, "I think this was a coincidence. Everyone has forgotten something in their life at least once, so it's not unlikely." William shrugged. They were silent for a while until William started talking about what stupid stunt his roommate had pulled. It got Yumi to laugh. They walked towards the cinema.

* * *

Ulrich fastened his seatbelt and started his drive home. While waiting for a car to pass by, he spotted the couple he'd just parted with coming out of the building. A voice in his head told him not to look. It wouldn't make him feel happier. Still, he watched them walk closely next to each other. William surprised Yumi by kissing her right there, which earned him a punch to his shoulder from the young woman. Probably because she was against displaying such affection in public. It looked like William was teasing her again. And it looked like Yumi was simply embarrassed.

The voice in his head spoke again. "_I told you not to look_."

"I should have listened to myself," he said with a sombre expression on his face. A car behind him honked, which startled him back into driving away from the exit.

Once home, he let out a sigh and leaned into his seat, thinking about what he had witnessed. "Well, that was something I definitely didn't want to see," he said aloud. He shoved back his sleeve to reveal the accessories he was wearing. The watch and the bracelet. The latter had a special meaning to it.

The bracelet was a thick leather black strap. Attached on top was a metal sword, a katana to be precise, that circled around the strap with the hilt and the point of the sword touching. On the inside a metal ring was fastened to the black material. A message had been inscribed on it:

_I'd do anything for you too – Yumi_

The text always made him smile. In their Kadic Academy days it had been his trademark line. Even though he never needed a reply for it, he got one anyway. But there was a catch. Yumi had informed him through a note in the box that she had it made long before her graduation. It was supposed to have been his birthday present, but she had postponed it to Christmas after certain events. Ulrich had already guessed the reason why she couldn't gift it to him in her planned period. You don't do that when you have a boyfriend of six months.

That meant he had no clue whether or not Yumi still felt that way. Especially after two and a half years. He pushed all thoughts to the back of his mind and stepped out of his car. Those worries were not his top priority now. His uncle was counting on him to do a good job and he meant to realize those expectations. Yumi was important and he would be there for her, but that wouldn't interfere with his work. He started thinking about how the employees were still against Yumi, despite the efforts she made during their time at the office. She would officially be his secretary starting from January, but she was already on par with him. Schedules, meetings, the team, even his coffee. She knew it all. Therefore he was convinced that they'd accept her as time passed.

His unanswered questions could wait. Like old times, they would be a great team. They would be more comfortable that way. Having her back was good, talking to her was great, but pouring his heart out to her was dangerous. Ulrich recalled his slip up earlier that evening. "Yeah, definitely dangerous," he said. He reminded himself to wait for a more appropriate time.

With one last sigh, he turned on his laptop and started working on next week's presentation.

Unfortunately, the bugging image of William and Yumi kept flashing in his mind. So, after thinking about which points he wanted noted, he decided to prepare to turn in for the day.

Before he did so, his phone notified him of a message:

_Sorry about William. I know it was awkward. I hope you're okay. See you tomorrow. Good night for later __J._

Yumi's message made him smile a little. He typed a short reply.

_Don't worry about it. It's fine. Thanks, good night ;)._

He then navigated to his music app and pressed shuffle on a playlist. He wasn't tired, but the music would eventually put him to sleep. So he lied down and closed his eyes, hoping he'd have a good dream tonight.

* * *

**A/N: Until next time! I hope we all sleep well today!**


	14. Chapter 13: How to Set a Double Date

**A/N: Hello! Finally satisfied with this chapter. Took a while. But here it is. Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

A few days had passed since Ulrich's visit to Yumi's apartment. On Thursday they had visited ROSAS Company. Yumi thought it an interesting experience, although it hadn't been the best of the week. It was now Friday, the last day of this year, and Yumi was seated inside Ulrich's car. She was currently lost in her own world, staring outside the window watching people and things pass by. They were heading back to the company after meeting designer D. R., who was going to be part of the team starting next week.

"So which one will it be tomorrow, lunch or dinner?" Ulrich asked. "What?" Yumi was confused. "You know, the cooking bet. Well, you can hardly call it a bet, since the outcome was obvious. But your reward still stands," he said. "Oh," she stopped her staring session, "I haven't thought about it." Ulrich noticed her depressed mood. "Is something bothering you?"

She regarded him, a little startled that she had turned transparent. "No, it's nothing too serious," she paused. "I'm trying to figure out how to talk to Kelly about Odd," she subtly revealed. "To ask for his number?" Yumi nodded. "Yes, for that as well." He braked for the traffic's red light. "As well?" She nodded. "Meaning?" Yumi sighed and wondered whether she should tell Ulrich about it. "Let's just say, I haven't been entirely honest to Kelly about myself. She doesn't know that I know she went to Kadic or that I know Odd," she disclosed.

"Why would you do that?" Ulrich asked, a little astounded. "Because I'm stupid," she said. "You're the one saying it," he confirmed. "Thanks," she sarcastically told him. "It'll be alright, you two have become good friends right? Within a short time too," Ulrich assured her. "I hope so," Yumi trailed off and continued to stare out the window.

The conversation Ulrich and Yumi had a few days before did cross their minds, but they never continued it. Not even during times when they were alone. Yumi felt pressured to tell him everything, but at the same time it made her choke up. Ulrich on the other hand thought he shouldn't push it. Without any attempt from both sides, they continued to focus on what was best for them. Work.

"When we're back, tell everyone from the team to be present at 03:00 PM. We're going to inform them about the project's starting processes," Ulrich said. "Okay," Yumi answered.

Upon their return Yumi entered the main team's office. She met Emily in the door opening. The brunette was on her way to a different department. "Hello Yumi," she greeted. "Hey Emily, can you wait for a while? I'm passing on Ulrich's request," Yumi said. Emily nodded. "Could you all please be present here at 03:00 PM? _Mr. Stern_ would like to discuss some important points concerning the new project that starts next week." Hums of approval sounded through the room. After she let Emily through, she closed the door.

"Why are you referring to Ulrich as Mr. Stern?" Emily asked. "I figured that would be best, seeing that I haven't really been accepted _yet_," Yumi answered. "Oh, well, if I may advice something. I believe calling him by his name won't be considered a problem. All of us do that, so you should too. Of course, outside of this office," Emily pointed at the door Yumi just closed, "you should remain formal." Yumi had been wondering if she'd be able to build a fine co-worker relationship with Emily. Her advice seemed like a good start. "Thanks for the tip," she said, after which Emily continued on her way.

* * *

"I believe none of us wants to work overtime on this day," Ulrich spoke up when they had all settled down for the meeting. "So let's start." Ulrich presented all information he had gathered that week, as well as the procedures they were to follow. Yumi noted down all important points mentioned and discussed. "Are there any questions?" He asked them. No one raised his hand for a full minute, before someone dared to let his curiosity get the better of him.

"Pardon me if I'm being rude, but how come _she_ is already working by your side? Doesn't she need to be trained for this? She isn't even aware of the work we do." Yumi had a feeling that he said that on behalf of many others. "I already explained that she is my secretary now. This week, we visited the companies with whom we work together. It was an introductory week for _Yumi_," he emphasized the last word. "As for training. She doesn't need it. Yumi has great understanding of the work we do here. She has been your colleague for a longer time than I have. She'll be able to provide you with new insights. I will probably learn a thing or two from her as well. There is no need to worry. I will also be fully responsible for her. In case of problems, you come to me. Are we clear?"

Ulrich was satisfied when he saw them all nodding submissively. "Good, that's all for today. Let's enjoy the last hours of these years. If everything has started up successfully next week, I'll organize an outing for us. So do your best," he grinned. Yumi noticed they all reacted positively to it, most of them even smiling after hearing the news.

Back in their office, Yumi stopped Ulrich from entering his. "Wait." He came to a halt and turned around. "What's wrong? Don't you want to get off work for today?" His joke didn't reach the humour chamber of Yumi's brain. "No, I suspect that they're trying to nit-pick on every little thing from the start. Emily is the only one attempting to let me in the team. If you're not around, I do my usual rounds. It doesn't matter in what way I try to show my interest, they don't communicate with me fluently," Yumi shared her worries.

"I'm not feeling welcomed either, but we just have to win their trust. It'll be fine. Let's focus on the new project. We'll get to know them more and vice versa. That might do us well," Ulrich assured her. "Maybe," she trailed off.

"Now, I have a brilliant idea," he announced out of the blue. "And what might that be?" Yumi set aside her worries about their pesky colleagues and paid him full attention. "It's still early. Go talk to Kelly. The sooner, the better. Right?" Ulrich's suggestion made her groan. "I don't know if it's such a good idea," Yumi said. "And will you ever think it a good idea? Just go and get her. I'll go outside. You will have the office to yourselves. Leave me a message or call me when you're done. I still have to lock up before I go," Ulrich said.

"You have a point. I'll get it over with. BUT you are buying me coffee and cake if this goes wrong," she warned him. "It's nothing I haven't done before," he winked at her and left to go outside. Yumi followed after mentally preparing herself.

"Hey Kelly, can I talk to you for a while?" Yumi asked her friend. "Yeah sure, we're about to lock up anyway. Let me grab my bag and phone," was the response. Yumi eyed the large bag she carried. It was bigger than the one she usually brought to work. But she shrugged it off, thinking Kelly most likely had some plans for tonight. Afterwards, the two of them walked to Yumi's office. Kelly was a little on guard. Besides times when she was working, Yumi had never looked so serious before during their conversations. The women entered the office and seated themselves at the desk.

"Okay, so what's on your mind?" Kelly carefully questioned.

"You remember telling me all those stories about Odd?" Yumi saw her nod. "Well, I haven't been completely honest with you. In fact, I hid from you that I know Odd. I remember you too. You see, we all went to Kadic academy and I'm good friends with Odd, although it's been a few years since I last saw him," she paused to think of the next part to tell.

Kelly had a poker face. Unreadable. Yumi had no clue how her friend would take this news.

"You might know about the group of friends I was.. or am in. As you know, Ulrich is great friends with Odd. I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. On the other hand, I think that's actually logical," Yumi stopped talking because Kelly's expression changed, a smile appearing on her face.

"And why would you assume that I don't know who you are?"

Yumi stared at her, silence her only reply.

"Of course I remember you. Who wouldn't! You're part of the famous five, so to say. Now, I might not be the smartest, but I haven't failed to notice your discomfort when you talked about your past, your boyfriend or mine," she coolly explained, using hand gestures. "I just figured you had some issues going on. That's fine. I'm not mad or anything. I might be a bit disappointed that you decided not to share your troubles. Though I can understand. We haven't been friends for long and it probably didn't sit right with you, correct?"

Yumi was still unable to provide her with an answer. She was too dumbstruck.

"As for how you weren't mentioned. Odd only told me Ulrich was sulking about someone. As much as you didn't want them as topic of conversation, they avoided talking about you as well. Odd told me Ulrich was having a hard time. Eventually, we all tried our best to move on. I believe Odd hasn't been in contact with all of you this past year. That would be a longer period of time for you," Kelly continued. "So you don't have to worry about feeling guilty or sorry. I held back information too." She got up to give Yumi a quick hug.

"But your side is another story. I had the chance to just tell you the truth right from the beginning. I still feel bad," Yumi said. "And I need to process this first. It's quite incredible." Kelly laughed. Yumi was thankful that Kelly was easy going like she was. All her traits were so loveable that she made an awesome friend. "Thank you, for hearing me out," she said.

"Really Yumi, don't worry about it. If you want to make it up to me, convince your boyfriend and let's go on a double date!" She enthusiastically suggested.

"Uhmm," Yumi was suddenly uncomfortable. However, she felt like she owed Kelly something. "Okay," she hesitantly answered. "When though?"

"Tonight! Let's go to the giant square in this city. They have a huge fireworks display right? As well as the countdown. I actually live in a city near here and Odd's not too far away either. We're both staying over at a friend's place. Odd's going to arrive here around 08:00 PM, I'll be picking him up. You guys can reunite!" She was hyped.

Yumi couldn't meet her enthusiasm. But she agreed to meet them on the square around 10:30 PM anyway.

"Great, I'll see you there. Let's meet up near the fountain," Kelly gave her friend a firm hug this time and walked out.

She tidied up her desk and texted Ulrich that he could return.

A while later he was back. "So how did it go?" He asked. Yumi smiled. "Much better than expected. Then again, I was imagining a bad outcome. I'm relieved. She took it very well and said that she purposefully didn't tell me about that year in which you and Odd were still staying in touch with each other."

"I'm happy for you. Yeah.. Odd told me he that he was in serious relationship with his girlfriend. But he never revealed who it was. I'm guessing he was scared of me making fun of him, since it's one of his ex-girlfriends from Kadic," Ulrich said, as he started to chuckle.

"I guess so," she found it humorous.

"What are your plans for tonight?"

She looked grim. "I happened to agree to going on a double date with Kelly and Odd." Ulrich was surprised. "Really?" She nodded to confirm. "Yep, we're meeting up at the square to watch the fireworks and partake in the countdown."

"Maybe you'll see Aelita, Jeremie and me as well. We made plans to go there as well," Ulrich said.

"Such a coincidence."

"Yes, it is huh." They both smiled.

Someone knocked on the door and entered immediately. "Hello sir, I'm sorry to disturb, but there are a few last minute customers who don't want to wait until Monday. I already explained to them that we're closed, but they're pretty insistent. The doors are already locked. At this moment they are in front of the building, refusing to leave. What should we do?" A worker from the security team informed them.

"I'll handle it. Mr. Stern, you can lock up," Yumi offered. "Go ahead, see you on Monday," he said. She gave him a small wave and turned to the man in front of her.

"Lead the way," she ordered to the informant. He obliged.

On her way to the entrance she briefly wondered about how tonight would turn out. "Hopefully, it'll be alright," she whispered to herself.

* * *

**A/N: The reason I didn't elaborate on the last two company visits was because I didn't think it necessary. The first few were most important and they already gave insight on what Yumi would learn. D.R. will return though.. he has to xD. Next chapter, goodbye to this year :). Review, if you want to share your thoughts!**


	15. Chapter 14: Energy Up!

**A/N: Hello hello! I'm back. With a double update too! This chapter was waaay too long, so I chopped it into two :D! I've been working on this one for a long time. It won't bore you! That's for sure. I.. hope haha. Enjoy the read. Please let me know your thoughts on both chapters :)!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi managed to convince William to attend the double date. She really hadn't expected him to agree. It made her somewhat happy that he could make time for her on this day. They were currently on their way to the meeting point. Her thoughts went back to the moment security asked for help earlier that day. She laughed to herself, thinking how silly it had all been.

_In front of the entrance a lady had been tapping her foot on the ground repeatedly, showing how impatient she had become. "I'm telling you, I just want to speak to Ulrich Stern or Yumi Ishiyama for a few minutes. I know them, I spoke with them a few days ago. It's really urgent!" The lady had said. However, the guard on duty was not letting her through. "Sorry madam, we are closed. We will help our customers again on Monday," was what she got told._

_"Excuse me," Yumi had walked around the building using the back entrance, her bag in hand. "Is there a problem?" The lady cheered up. "There you are! This stubborn person wouldn't let me enter at all. I told him I wasn't a customer and he still didn't even call for you! Your phone was switched off. But I'm happy you're here now!" Yumi eyed the woman and instantly recognized her. "Ms. Rosy?! What brings you here?" Ms. Rosy was the sister of Rosa, who worked at the cafeteria in Kadic. She was the owner of Rosas Company._

_"Dear, you forgot to take this file with you! I believe it contains important information about the next event you'll be having in February. There were some handwritten notes and I wasn't sure if you had a back-up, so I squeezed in some time to stop by," Ms. Rosy kindly clarified. "Oh! You shouldn't have! We happened to have a back-up. Fortunately I had memorized most of our meeting. I quickly processed it in another document the same day. I'm thankful you travelled all this way. Now I can double check to see if the report covers all points," Yumi took the file and shook Ms. Rosy's hand._

_"It was the least I could do after the wonderful ideas you thought up of. I'm very excited for the event in February! I have to go now, be safe tonight, dear!" Ms. Rosy waved her goodbye and hurried to her car. Yumi shouted a few parting words too and had phoned William directly after._

Out of the blue, William asked her who Kelly's boyfriend was. "Someone we know all too well," Yumi answered. "Meaning?" William wanted her to go on. "Odd Della Robia," she continued. He scoffed. "Are you serious? How many coincidental reunions does that make? It's only been a few weeks." William couldn't believe it. "It seems Odd changed a lot," Yumi decided to ignore him, "I'm curious what we'll run into," she added. "I'm not," William whispered inaudibly.

"It should be around here," Yumi checked her surroundings. It was very crowded. The entire square was filled with people all ages. "This spot is still as popular as it was last year huh," she idly carried on talking. "Yeah, it's the largest gathering place in the region, so that figures," William said. They were waiting near the eastern side of the square.

"YUMI!" Kelly screamed, running towards them. It was loud enough to make you turn and search for the origin of the noise. "Hi Kelly," she caught her friend in a hug. "Meet William," Yumi gestured to her boyfriend. Kelly excitedly shook his hand. "I see you got a handsome one Yumi," she winked at Yumi and introduced herself, "Kelly, nice to meet you." William thought to himself that this much enthusiasm certainly matched Odd's. He stated his name and let go of her hand.

"Hey! You could have waited for me!" Someone suddenly said. Kelly looked behind her and grinned at her boyfriend sheepishly. "Hehe, sorry." Odd stepped into view. He had grown taller, but was barely taller than Kelly. He was wearing a pair of white sneakers, jeans and a dark purple sweater. His hair was still styled the same. Kelly was wearing a red cardigan with a white T-shirt underneath that was tucked into high waist black jeans. A pair of flats to finish her outfit.

"Hey Yumi, great to see you again! Could you do me a favour? Enter your number in my phone please! I've been dying to meet you again ever since Kelly told me she worked with you, but she kept saying it wasn't the right time," Odd rambled on, while Yumi hesitantly took out her phone, "Ah! Yes! About a year ago, I lost my phone! And my notebook that contained information on all my contacts! I was pissed. Because everyone had just started somewhere else and I had no way of reaching them. I couldn't remember the names of the places they went to and well…," he almost wanted to add that he hadn't spoken to her in that time anyway, but held it in.

Yumi laughed, not thinking anything of his abrupt ending. She focused on their weird reunion. "That's quite a story to start our reunion off with. But I get it. I'm sure the others would be happy to hear that you're alive. Good to see you again," she chuckled and they exchanged numbers. "Do you know where they are?! I was hoping you did!" He said. Yumi frowned. "Uhm Ulrich is my boss?" She awkwardly announced. "WHAT?! WHY DID YOU NOT TELL ME?" He exclaimed, glaring at his girlfriend. "Hey! I've been busy. He officially started two weeks ago," Kelly defended herself. "That's plenty of time to tell me!" Odd hooked his arm around his girlfriend's neck. "Okay okay, I'm sorry," she said. They ended up laughing about it.

"Ahem," William coughed to make his presence known. "Hey William! How've you been? I haven't seen you for years!" He clapped him on his shoulder. Yumi tried not to laugh at the funny sight. Odd was much shorter than William after all. Kelly also tried to stifle her laughter. "I'm good thanks," he said, clearly not too content with another return from the past. Odd asked for his number and he reluctantly gave it to him, for the sake of not making a scene.

"As for Aelita and Jeremie, they work at ELITA. It's the IT company we work with," Yumi told Odd. William perked up at that new information, which went unnoticed by Yumi. "Great!" Odd said. Yumi provided him with the contact details of the three other friends Odd had missed so much. "Jeremie has a work number and private number, so be sure to save it properly," she said. "Will do, thanks Yumi! I'll even make a back-up this time!" Odd's energy level seemed like it would remain at a constant peak.

The two couples began to exchange stories. However, Odd and Kelly were main topic. "So why did you choose to get into a relationship with him again?" William asked. "Oh, Odd once set up a live atelier in a place like this. He offered to draw portraits of people as a way to save money for charity. It was part of his final assignments for his first year in college. I was one of his customers," Kelly started her story. "We both recognized each other and started talking afterwards. I even helped him set up his little 'stage' on other places. We had a sudden reconnection that just worked," she said. "Yep, but that's not hard with me," Odd added as final comment. Kelly rolled her eyes. "What?" He shrugged. "You fell for it."

They all laughed at that. Even William cracked a smile. "Shall we go and get some drinks?" Yumi asked William. "Sure." She looked at her friends. "What will you guys have?" Kelly wanted to answer, but Odd spoke up first. "Oh! I'll go with you! You two stay here and think of something to do!" He decided for the four of them. William narrowed his gaze on Odd, but seeing that Yumi had already agreed left him no choice.

Leaving Kelly and William behind, the two of them walked towards a stand where drinks were beings sold. "So, you're together with William?" Odd began, despite being aware of her situation. "As you know," Yumi replied. "Which is because?" She looked at him. "Long story," she provided him with another short response. "Does Ulrich know why?" Odd scrunched his eyebrows, deep in thought about how this would affect his best friend. "He does not," Yumi answered. "Oh," was all Odd could say. "I thought you liked him," he continued.

Yumi had considered his "Oh" the end of said topic. "I thought I did too." Odd was confused.

"How long have you been with William now?"

"Two and a half years."

"So you _love_ _him_?"

"…"

"Well?"

"Odd, can we please stop talking about this. Let's end the year peacefully." Yumi was growing more and more impatient. She didn't want Odd to question her like this. But of course he was going to be the one to carry on until he had all answers. Ulrich has always been on his side and the other way around. He was backing up his buddy, who never got to hear the entire truth.

"I'm sorry, Yumi, but I don't understand your decisions," Odd suddenly sounded harsher. "Ulrich… he…," Odd struggled to find his wording, "Ulrich was so heartbroken, Yumi. He was an empty shell walking around for weeks. Not even Sissi got a reaction out of him. He ignored everyone and anything. The others don't know, but there were days when I returned to the room later than Ulrich and I couldn't enter. Why do you think that is?"

Yumi didn't answer. She quietly listened to Odd.

"He was crying."

The Japanese woman held in her breath. Ulrich had never been the type to become highly emotional. Especially not risking others seeing him. Odd noticed her expressions. "Yes, that's how broken he was."

It was a fact. One Yumi couldn't undo nor rectify. "I didn't know that," Yumi said. What else could she say? Nothing to make it better. That much was for sure.

"I wanted to share it with you, because I don't think you completely comprehend how much your decisions affected Ulrich, or us in general. Suffering isn't fun for anyone, right Yumi? So, please tell our buddy Ulrich as much as you can. He has the right to hear your story in the same way you've been told his," Odd was speaking from his heart. All of the excitement had temporarily left his body.

It got through to Yumi. She started to feel more motivated to fill Ulrich in on her side of the story. "It's going to be fine. At least he doesn't hate you," Odd joked a little. "Thanks Odd. I think I needed some pep talk from all of you to get my act together. It's cleared up my head a little," Yumi told him, letting his remark slide.

"Trust me, I know you'll be okay!" Odd cheered. They arrived at the stand and bought a few sodas and snacks. Odd carried the food and Yumi was tasked with taking the drinks back. They then returned to their meeting spot.

"Here you go!" Odd presented their purchase. "Great, thanks a lot!" Kelly took one can of soda. "Do you know what the others are doing tonight?" Odd asked Yumi while casually sipping his drink. Yumi glanced at William, who was preoccupied with unwrapping a bar of chocolate. "No," she lied. "Too bad."

At that moment, Odd happened to catch a glimpse of the fountain nearest to them. Specifically the group of people standing in front of the fountain. A wide smile formed on his face. That pink hair was hard to misplace after all. "Aelita!" He hollered without caring about how noisy he was, as he waved his free arm frantically from left to right. "Hey! Jeremie, Ulrich! Odd the Magnificent is HERE!" Yumi had a mixture of shock and paleness on her face. Kelly just looked confused. And William slowly got angrier, barely holding it in.

Yumi couldn't believe it. What was the likelihood of actually seeing them here? "Karma," a voice in her head said. She did her best to put on a poker face to mask her emotions, thinking about how she would act surprised to see the others here.


	16. Chapter 15: Fireworks

**A/N: And it goes on! Disclaimer still stands ;P! Until next time!**

* * *

"Odd!" Aelita screamed and ran forward to hug him. "You are alive!" Odd and Aelita were about the same height. He looked at her amused when she released him. "I am," he chuckled. When Ulrich and Jeremie had caught up and they had greeted each other, Odd repeated the story he'd told Yumi earlier. He sent them all a message, so they would have his number again. "Figures you'd do something stupid like that," Ulrich snickered. They all laughed.

"We should've made plans to meet up here," Aelita said, "I mean, in the end we're all together anyway." That's when the three of them noticed William too. This time he hadn't made an effort to make himself known. "Hi William," the pinkette greeted him first. "Hey," he curtly said. "Maybe we could have," Yumi interrupted the awkward staring and greeting moments, "but Kelly here wanted to go on a double date. So here we are."

"And now it's a triple date with a chaperone," Odd made fun of Ulrich. "Very funny." The brunet glared at the spiky haired man. "Must be tough, being the only one who's single," William suddenly commented. Everybody, even Kelly, felt the enmity in that one remark. "Sure is, I have to watch you all getting lost in each other," Ulrich mockingly scowled, then flashed a grin. "Though you always have Sissi," Odd joked. "Please, no," Ulrich said. Odd just laughed hysterically.

Ulrich didn't dare to look at Yumi. Likewise, she was strangely focused on her drink, doing anything not to look at him or William, who observed Yumi. "So, what will we do with this year's remaining time?" Jeremie asked the group. "Oh, I know something fun. When Odd and I arrived, we walked past an area where they were showcasing a sword fighting virtual reality game. We can go there," Kelly spoke up. Aelita and Jeremie eyed each other. It was always wise to check out any competition. "We're in," Aelita said. Odd was excited, Ulrich would tag along as well, which left Yumi and William. "Why not?" Yumi breathed out, giving William a slightly pleading look.

"Let's just have fun tonight," she whispered, holding onto his hand. William frowned. "This is not my idea of fun," he whispered in return, breaking off their physical contact. It was inaudible for the rest of the group. However, Yumi didn't need to persuade William any further, because they were suddenly being pulled along by Odd. "Let's see Yumi and Ulrich fight, like old-time sparring." The wish got everyone but three all pumped up. Even Jeremie wanted to see it. "Are you up for it?" Ulrich asked Yumi. His voice lingered in her ears and she found it hard to refuse.

"Come on, Yumi. Just beat him like you always did," Odd happily urged on when they reached the place. "Hey! Not always," Ulrich defended himself. The women all giggled. "Okay, I'll let you win," Yumi joked. "That won't be necessary," William stepped in. "I think I might have a shot at beating _your_ _friend_," he said, as he moved to stand in front of Yumi. The atmosphere changed to a serious one once more. Ulrich glared at him. Yumi wanted to disappear. "I guess that's also going to be a great match!" Odd tried to brighten it up. "I think so too," Aelita chimed in. "Well, then it's settled." William smirked at Ulrich.

* * *

The worker explained how they were to battle each other. They were to step onto a platform where both of them would have a radius of three meters to move. Ulrich and William stood opposite from each other holding the VR goggles. They wouldn't see the real world, only the virtual world they were in and who they represented inside. The latter would be displayed on a large TV that was mounted on the wall besides the platform. The others could watch the game from a safe distance. "You each have an HP bar of 100 points at the start. Each undefended hit from a sword, hand or foot takes ten points from your opponent. It's forbidden to hit anywhere higher than the shoulders. Remember, children can be viewing the game," they were told the rules. They each were handed a small cylinder that was slightly longer than their hands. It would be their in-game sword.

"This is pretty awesome!" Ulrich stated. William didn't comment. He just wanted to vent his anger on something. It happened to turn out fantastic for him. "Let's see how you do without being possessed by XANA," Ulrich stoked William. They had a small audience that made enough noise for others to be unable to hear them. "Why don't you worry about yourself?" William countered with confidence. "And stop being around Yumi," he added. Ulrich scoffed at his jealousy. They were co-workers, so how was he supposed to do that. But he decided to play along. "_If_ you win, I might consider it." William was unfazed.

"Ready?" They got into position and wore there goggles. "Start!"

Yumi was nervous but secretly wished them luck.

William charged in immediately, swinging his sword towards Ulrich's middle. Ulrich parried and kicked him back to his original position. The crowd that had gathered was loving it already and they cheered the players on. As they carried on, Odd commented on the game. "It's a cool game, but they look rather ridiculous hitting nothing but air." The others agreed. "But the movements are precise and if you look at the result on screen, it looks great," Jeremie said. Aelita nodded.

Just then Ulrich jumped up and moved his sword overhead, aiming for William's shoulders. He missed and William did a roundhouse kick that shoved him well aside. Ulrich had 50 HP left, whereas William was down to 20. The latter proceeded to continuously slam his sword on Ulrich's legs, but they were all dodged as he moved from left to right. "_It won't be that easy_," Ulrich thought. He threw his sword towards William in attempt to hit him back, but he caught it.

However, in real life, that happened too. The game was well coordinated with the real life movements, making sure the real-life distance between the players was always one metre. Now Ulrich was without sword, lying on the ground and the crowd gasped in unison. The group of friends heard them whisper things like "How can he be so stupid?", "Doesn't he want to win?" and "What will he do now?" That last question came up in the thoughts of Yumi, Aelita, Jeremie, Odd and Kelly as well. "Is he dumb or what? It's not like a new one will materialize," Jeremie stated. "Materialize?" Kelly asked. "He means that no new sword will be programmed, since it's being coordinated with the cylinder he was holding. But.. he threw that for real," Aelita cut in. "Oh." Kelly continued to watch the game. Jeremie and Aelita let out a sigh of relief. They had always decided it was best to be as safe as possible regarding anything related to their past.

"You're finished," William said. He menacingly approached Ulrich (until his 'border') and cruelly stabbed him twice with both swords. "Any final words?" He asked, but his swords were already on their way to hit him. Of course he wouldn't grant Ulrich the time to say something. This wasn't a movie. He wanted to make it known that he shouldn't be messed with. Unfortunately for him, Ulrich had the same idea. He trapped both swords with his feet and twisted sideways. For William that came unexpected and he stumbled. However, his grip on the swords tightened and he held on. Ulrich was on him before he could move. An elbow hit, followed by a low kick bringing William to his knees. "Game over," Ulrich whispered.

Loud cheering and big applause. The crowd's reaction to a fine fight pleased Ulrich as he stepped down from the platform and walked over to his friends in the front row. "Do I brag now?" He grinned. Yumi couldn't help herself and reached out to embrace Ulrich. She quickly pulled back when she remembered where they were and pretended nothing happened. The others caught on quickly. "That was awesome!" Yumi said. "Yeah, congratulations, you were great," Odd complimented him as well. "Well done," Jeremie joined in. Aelita and Kelly gave him thumbs up.

One could say William's mood took a deep dive to nothing good. "You were great too," Yumi told him when he stood with them again. "Right," he grumpily replied. "That was fun, thanks man," Ulrich put out his hand for William to shake. He did, but kept to an additional nod, trying not to lose his cool.

"Fifteen minutes left," Aelita said after checking the huge digital clock that was standing in the middle of the square. "Looks like we were the last one. They're closing up," Ulrich noticed people putting away the equipment. "Lucky for us." Aelita smiled. It was a long time ago that they all had fun like this. The seven of them returned to their original meeting spot.

* * *

"We'll be right back," William announced. He abruptly took Yumi's hand and didn't wait for her to follow. Ulrich looked on worriedly. A look everyone shared. As she got practically dragged away from her friends, Yumi wondered what had befallen him. "William, it's starting to hurt. You can let go," she informed him. He didn't listen until they were well out of earshot. Although they were still visible. "What's wrong?"

"I'm pretty sure I told you about my limits. Look, there is a lot I can tolerate, but I've about had it with _you_ and your lies now," William spat out. "I beg your pardon? What is the matter with you?" Yumi couldn't believe it. She had been happy that he was willing to try and hang out with the others. But what did she do?

"First, you _force_ me into coming with you on this double date. And you hide that Odd is Kelly's boyfriend. That's fine, I can live with that. Second, you found it important enough to mention that you came across Sissi again, but didn't think it necessary to tell me about Jeremie and Aelita. That was fine too, I thought you had forgotten. Lastly, judging from your reaction – which, yes, I did see – you knew Ulrich would be here. Were you hoping to run into him? Are you that desperate to rekindle your relationship with him? Are you having fun fooling me like this?"

Yumi had tears in her eyes. Her voice quavered when she answered him. "Why are you saying all of this? I didn't force you, we never go on proper dates. I thought this might be fun. I also owed Kelly. If I'd have mentioned Odd, you wouldn't have wanted to go. I don't write my future William. I can't do anything about the coincidental meetings from the last few weeks. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Aelita and Jeremie. It really slipped my mind. And no, I had no idea we'd actually be seeing them here tonight. You want me to do this and that, but why are you constantly trying to make it seem like I'm cheating on you? Ulrich and I are merely working together. Is that not allowed? Isn't it logical that I feel close to old friends, even if it's been many months since I've seen them? Please stop accusing me!" She glared at him, her chest heaving from the lengthy response she gave him in one breath.

He scowled. "Are you actually serious now? You held hands with him, you hug him. What's next? Kissing? Don't think I haven't noticed. Of course you'd name Sissi and forget the other two. It was Sissi's endeavour to break you and Ulrich. Even the little time you spent at wherever she's working, must have put you on edge. Because she's still part of Ulrich's life. A threat, a danger, an annoyance to you." Yumi could only shake her head. William shrugged and dramatically kept his shoulders and hands up. "If you want to break it off, you don't have to do it in this round-about way, tearing me apart piece by piece. You can even do it before the year ends," he finally dropped a bomb. Yumi was crying now. "You don't mean it. Think about this William. I haven't done anything wrong," she sobbed. "Now that they're all back, I wanted all of us to get along. I was not hoping for any of this. You were not like this William," she claimed.

"Maybe you're the cause of that. I thought I'd told you it'd be the two of us now. We would set aside our past, _including_ the people that were part of it. I was doing that for you. Am I not enough?" He continued throwing snide comments at her. And Yumi finally lost it.

* * *

Ulrich and Aelita had been the first to notice that the conversation William and Yumi were having, wasn't as peaceful as they would've hoped. The hand gestures, Yumi's pose, Williams attitude. They were all signs of discussion, perhaps even a fight. Aelita put her hand on Ulrich's shoulder, a token of comfort. He looked at it, before redirecting his attention back to the couple standing further away. "I hope she's okay," Ulrich said. Aelita retracted her hand. "I hope so too." She sighed, finding it sad that it had to be this way. If this were to be the past, she would have told Ulrich their conversation was none of his business. That he shouldn't interfere, nor pry for answers. But the current Ulrich didn't need to hear that. He knew. She trusted that he would not give in to his desires to do something about it.

A phone ringing startled him back to reality. He saw "Dad" appear on his screen. For a second he thought about whether he should pick up. Meanwhile he observed Odd, his girlfriend and Jeremie. Odd was telling a story at the moment. Before the third ring, he turned to Aelita. "I'm going to answer this. You know it's for the best that I don't delay my father's call," he said. Aelita nodded. Ulrich smiled at her, then turned around. "Hello dad," he answered, "yes I'm fine," he trailed off and listened to what his father had to say while he walked away from the square, through the East entrance.

Yumi ran away. She didn't have a destination. The need to be alone outweighed her desire to return to the group. Why was William so mean? It had been such a wonderful reunion with their friends. How can he say that he alone should have been enough when he was acting so different? Did he mean she can't ever mend her friendships with the others again? Will he not even allow different people into her life?

She came to a halt on a path than ran next to the square. It was being illuminated by lanterns hanging from poles. The orange hue contributed to the loneliness she was feeling at that moment. Can she talk about this with one of her friends? Would they tell her off? Blame her too? They wouldn't right? They were her friends. But didn't she deserve this? Hadn't she been warned for this? Her spiral of thoughts caused her to lose her situational awareness as she sat down on a bench.

A few kids ran by and threw some firecrackers in the middle of the path. One landed two metres from where she was sitting. It frightened Yumi. "Hey! Watch out next time!" She scolded the kids. One of them turned around and shouted an apology. Yumi fell back into reflecting on the prior happening.

"Everything's fine dad. The new projects are looking good. There is really no need to fret about it so much." Yumi heard someone talking. She saw Ulrich talking on the phone as he unconsciously neared her. "Thanks dad. A Happy New Year in advance to you too. Bye," he said, ending the call with his father. He noticed Yumi, but was at a loss for words. She appeared to be depressed. Was he supposed to ask her directly what was going on? Or wait it out and see if she speaks first? She was vacantly staring at him and he wondered if she saw him or something else. Eventually he settled on just a greeting. "Hey."

"Hey," she replied with a dull tone. "May I sit?" He cautiously asked her. "Why not? Nobody will stop you," Yumi answered. Ulrich sat down. The silence between them felt tense. What were you to say in situations like these? "I don't understand it Ulrich," Yumi began. "What have I done wrong?" It wasn't a question he could provide an answer for. "How can he say that? I mean. Before the end of this year. And. I -," she was being uncoherent and bit on her lip to hold back her tears. He softly rubbed her back.

"I'm sorry. I don't know." The standard words offered little comfort.

"We're finally all together again. I was delighted to see you all. To think I'd hurt him this much just because I wanted to work it out with my old friends. After I settled here and entered a routine, I've been thinking so hard. For the past years I thought about how I never should have left the way I did. I love our group, but I don't know what came over me. It was so stressful. I got a chance, to see you again, talk to you again and to fix what can be fixed. Then he tries to overrule me, saying I should leave it alone. Why?!" Yumi was frustrated and extremely saddened.

Ulrich found himself in a dilemma. Why was she speaking to him about this? He was strong, but William was a dangerous topic for him. He had never been able to accept that Yumi chose William. The one person who got them into major trouble, who always got in their way. He wanted to hate her for it. But that was impossible. He still loved her and it would most likely take him forever to get over it. All he could do now was making sure she was happy. So he couldn't let her be, not when the jerk was treating Yumi this way. She was suddenly quiet. "Sorry, you're probably not the best person to have this conversation with." She got up from her seat, but Ulrich stopped her and pulled her down again.

"It's okay. I'll try not to run off and roast the guy. I shouldn't be doing this, but I want to see you happy, so.. you can let it out," he bitterly told her.

Yumi's tears rolled down. This was the perfect moment to tell him everything. However, she choked up. Ulrich held her with one arm and brought her closer, absolutely despising the fact that William would consider this cheating. To him, Yumi's feelings were more important. She was a friend in need and he would behave that way too. "_Yes, just a friendly act_," he thought.

After a few minutes, she had completely calmed down. "Are you okay?" Ulrich was concerned she would brush it off. "No, but I'll manage. Can we go back?" Yumi felt a little better and didn't want to miss the countdown. "Sure, let's go," Ulrich said. They expected to return to the place their friends were standing. Instead the entire square was packed with people and they couldn't spot their friends. Not even Odd with his extraordinary hair.

Yumi watched the clock. "One minute to go!" They both frantically searched the crowd for the familiar faces, but failed to find them.

"Ten!" Yumi panicked. "Nine!" Ulrich chuckled. "Eight!" Yumi frowned. "Seven!" Ulrich pointed at Odd standing on top of a podium screaming the countdown at the top of his lungs. He had taken over a random spot on stage with a random stolen microphone. "Six!" Yumi smiled. "Five!" Ulrich slipped his hand into Yumi's. "Four!" She didn't let go. At least someone was with her. She thought of her parents and brother and wished telepathy was something that really worked. "Three!" Ulrich tightened his grip. "Two!" Yumi copied his action. "ONE!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone's voice melted together into one enormous wish. Odd's voice could be heard loud and clear for everyone to hear. "HAPPY NEW YEAR TO THE BEST FRIENDS IN THE WORLD!"

Yumi and Ulrich laughed. All the sadness had flowed out of her. They looked at each other. Ulrich closed in on her face and Yumi's heartbeat increased. "Happy New Year," he spoke into her ear.

The fireworks went off and exploded into the air. Yumi was distracted by all the beautiful colours. "I love you." The words were too faint for Yumi to hear. Ulrich stood straight again, desperately wanting his heart to calm down. He was thankful for the high sound level, but was extremely happy he could be there for her like this.

If only he could always be.


	17. Chapter 16: Warning

**A/N: Okay, the next chapter is here! I'm sure you've all already noticed. I'll state it anyway. This story's updating pattern is irregular, but it's a guaranteed once per two weeks update. If it ends up as a double chapter, that's great for you :D! If it ends up earlier, we'll be happy too. This chapter is less dramatic :D!? Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

"_Yumi, I want you to understand that I respect you a lot, but I can't deal with this any longer. I quit my job. My dad has already found a replacement. I will move to Germany, where I'll manage some other business my father's associated with. I wish you luck and I hope you will be able to keep up your great work. I'm sorry I can't be there to witness that. Goodbye."_

_She watched him walk away with the belongings from his office. "Wait! What do you mean?" Yumi called out and quickly followed after him. "We were working so well together. Have I done something wrong?"_

_They were standing in the middle of the hallway when he turned around. "No, you didn't. I did. I can't hold myself back forever. And I don't want to come in between you and William," he explained himself._

_"But that's partially my fault too! I was weak. I promise not to hurt you again. Please stay," she requested. He had a torn expression on his face, but his decision was already final. Ulrich shook his head. "I'm sorry, Yumi. This is it. Good luck. If we ever run into each other, I hope it will be in the far future. And you know, I'll be the first one to smile when I see you happy," he told her, then proceeded to pick up his walking pace._

_Yumi wanted to shout at him. Anything. The sound wouldn't come out. How was she to prevent his departure?_

_Someone else stopped Ulrich from going any further. When he looked up, he saw William blocking his way. "Can you move?" His cold words couldn't be any more unwelcoming. However William directed his attention to his girlfriend, ignoring him. "Are you seriously begging him to stay?" He began. First, Yumi wondered why he was roaming around these parts of the building. Then came the anger for William pointing out nonsense once again._

_Ulrich felt caught in the middle, but he couldn't leave the couple alone. What if William was going to try and hurt Yumi? He believed that even _William_ wouldn't stoop that low. "Just in case," he thought, not having a reason to trust William._

_"Now that we're all here, let's get this over with. This is the moment to let us know. It's time we concluded this matter," William suddenly stated. Yumi eyed him warily, not happy with what she was hearing. Ulrich felt uneasy._

_"Yumi, would you do us the honour of choosing one: Ulrich or _me_?" William emphasized himself, stressing the compulsion._

_"William!" Ulrich exclaimed. "I'm warning you, leave her alone. Why the attitude? You two are in a relationship, are you not?! What is your problem?!"_

_"Oh, what do you think? YOU ARE! Stop bothering her, stop _influencing_ her. She's confused because you're around. I thought I would never have to deal with you from _that_ day onwards. It seems I was wrong," William looked at Yumi. "Will you answer the question?"_

_She was distressed. "Why _do_ you need me to verify your wants? I don't have an answer for you. I thought we talked about this. You always… always bring up this competitive atmosphere. Ulrich and you aren't some flavours to choose between. Why is it not possible for you to see Ulrich in a different light? He never asked for your interferences!" Yumi responded._

_"My interferences? And his? You are entirely on his side, aren't you?!"_

_"I'm not on nobody's side. I just want you to come to your senses. We used to be fine William. What happened?"_

_"I can't believe this. How many times do I have to explain?" William glared at Ulrich._

_"But I don't see how Ulrich did anything. He's merely doing his job. Or was, since you practically drove him out!" Yumi defended Ulrich._

_"That's a good thing, isn't it?!"_

_"NO! Everyone's finally in synch with each other here. We worked hard for this. You can't expect me to be okay with Ulrich leaving!"_

_Ulrich couldn't bear to watch the two fight much longer. He reached out to Yumi but William firmly grabbed his hand. "I'm not even going to ask," he threatened._

_"Let go," he commanded William. _

_"Sure, get away from Yumi and I will," William countered._

_"Can you end your drama now?" Ulrich asked, flicking William's arm away. "What the –." William was irked. Ulrich stood in-between Yumi and William, facing the latter. "You heard me. Consider this a warning. Do not hurt her." Ulrich fiercely glared at him after relaying his message. He then continued to further the distance between himself and them._

_William swore and uttered useless words._

_Yumi tried to reach Ulrich. William didn't let her._

_She screamed for him to stay._

_But Ulrich never looked back._

* * *

Yumi woke up and let out a groan. "So my dreams thought: here, because you haven't had enough of it in real life." She fell back on her bed and glanced at her clock. "Great." She read 3:40 AM. Every now and then she could hear some faraway fireworks. The people that bought too much were most likely still launching them. "Don't they need sleep?" Yumi tried to sleep again, but couldn't find the right position to lie in anymore.

She rolled onto her left side and picked up her phone from her nightstand. No new messages. Yumi had already phoned her parents and Hiroki before she left for the double date. After standing in the crowd with Ulrich for a while, she called them again to let them hear her best wishes. When Hiroki heard William was her boyfriend, he was permanently sulking for a few weeks. He eventually accepted it, although he and William never clicked. She was grateful that Hiroki at least didn't show his disapproval. He was even cool about it, when he had visited Yumi's apartment and William was there. Nowadays, Hiroki had his own mobile phone, so things were easier to discuss with him. They were still a pair of crazy siblings. He'd wished her all the best for this year too.

William had found her after she hung up. Against expectations, he apologized for his rude behaviour towards her. But she remained mad. This time he had crossed lines he shouldn't have. "Let's talk later," he had said. William didn't wait for her reply as had left for home afterwards. Yumi joined the others to wish them lots of happiness this year. That was followed by goodbyes and a trip home.

She checked if anyone was online at this hour, but nobody seemed to be. Like many other times, she hovered over Ulrich's name in her contact list. Yumi was surprised by Ulrich's mature stance towards her and her problems (some of it, their problems). She made up her mind and tapped his name to send him a message.

_Thanks for today, I had fun. Thanks for listening to me too. Even though I think it was selfish of me, you knew how to comfort me. Goodnight._

"Let's leave it at that," she talked to herself. Yumi turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She hated that moments like these gave her time to overthink. She heard her phone vibrate. Ulrich was online and had replied to her message.

_No problem. It's nothing. I like being with you._

Yumi blinked a few times. Then smiled. She took a few moments to think about what to say next. _Oh, by the way, was beating William easy?_

_Not really. I got serious Xanafied William vibes during that battle. I'm glad I still have it. Sounding like Odd there. Why are you asking?_

She laughed out loud when reading his statement. _Because we all thought you were in a real pinch. But it was cool seeing you going at it. Even though you guys looked ridiculous with those VR-goggles. It was like bad stage fighting._

Ulrich was already typing as she yawned. _Great… At least I defeated William. _She predicted that he had a silly grin on his face by now.

_So you did. _Yumi awaited his reply.

_Do you still want to have your victory meal later today?_

Yumi had to think about that. She would like to spend a little more time with Ulrich outside office hours. But her aggravation at William hadn't left her in the jolliest mood ever. _Let me think about that a little longer._

_Sure. Hey, wait, why are you still awake?_

Yumi yawned again. Naturally, she wasn't going to tell Ulrich nor William what she had been dreaming about today. _Some fireworks woke me up and now I can't fall asleep. What about you?_

_My neighbours are having the time of their lives upstairs. Too noisy to sleep. Wait I'll let you hear it._

Her phone started ringing. She picked up out of curiosity. "You could've recorded it, you know?" Yumi greeted. "I don't have enough energy to swipe to my recorder, start it up and press that red button," he replied. Afterwards, he let her hear the noise he heard. Then Ulrich put his phone to his ear again.

"Let's talk some more, Yumi," Ulrich sounded tired. His hoarse voice speaking to her soothed Yumi a little and she closed her eyes when she gave her consent.

"Can I ask you something?" Ulrich's tone revealed he had debated whether to ask his upcoming question or not.

"Go ahead," Yumi wondered what it would be about. It was most likely going to be about William. If not, she thought it really strange he didn't just ask. Ulrich's question confirmed that.

"Are you okay? Did William say something else?"

Her face fell. Why did he have to remind her? "I'm okay. He tried to apologize, but there were no other nonsensical arguments from his side," she said grumpily. Ulrich sighed, but Yumi couldn't figure out its meaning.

"Yumi, if you need anyone by your side when _he_ can't or won't, then I will always help you, listen to you and try my best to make you happy again," he sincerely stated his inner feelings.

With her eyes closed, Ulrich's words had a very large impact on her. He stopped talking. She was quiet too and focused on her heartbeat. It felt strange to accept his willingness to be there for her despite the current situation. "I don't deserve it," Yumi said.

"You do. I just want to let you know that," he told her.

"But will you be okay with it?" She whispered.

"I don't care about William. I care about _you._ So I will," Ulrich said. For a few seconds silence lingered.

"I'm afraid. I don't want to hurt you anymore," she said.

"You won't. I promise." His words held a conviction.

"How can you be so sure?" She asked him with a shaking voice.

"I can't," he admitted, then paused. "I can't, but I have learned to appreciate the most important little details in the time I spent away from you. Besides, we're good friends right?" Ulrich heard her chuckle and he continued. "We're a team too. And I want to show everyone that we're going to become unbreakable," he said. "Unlike what has already happened," Ulrich added.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"No problem," he whispered. It was followed by another silence.

"I'm tired," Yumi was barely audible, but Ulrich managed. "Me too."

"I'll see you later, Ulrich," she mumbled. "Good night, Yumi." Ulrich waited for a reply. When he heard her breathe evenly, he knew he wouldn't get one. He smiled, then hung up.

Upon putting away his phone, his thoughts went to William. If possible, he wanted to stay away from the black-haired male. Ulrich understood he needed to give Yumi and William all the space they needed or desired. But that didn't mean he couldn't be there for Yumi. He just hoped that it would all work out. Yumi had been trying to solve her problems bit by bit. But she seemed to have more trouble accepting that their friends were happy to have her back than they had when they had decided they would patiently wait for Yumi.

For now, he had to keep his friendly distance. There was no choice.

* * *

On Sunday the group got together to properly catch up. Yumi hadn't invited William. And Kelly had readily offered to let them have a real reunion. They were currently having lunch at a café located near Yumi's apartment. Ulrich had suggested that they have lunch together. The occasion would be Yumi's return to the group. She had agreed immediately. This way she could explain it all again from the beginning, which she did.

"You know, Yumi. It's also pretty awesome how you became independent through that incident," Odd pointed out, literally holding his spoon in her direction.

"I have to agree. It's never an easy decision to leave the place you call home. I think you built a steady rhythm for yourself that just worked for you. I admire your perseverance," Aelita praised her.

"But, we would have liked to know. You needed the time to get yourself together, space to think. It's fine. It only left us hanging without knowing what way to swing," Odd said.

"I still don't get why you guys aren't angry with me," Yumi said, absent-mindedly poking her piece of cake.

"Because we care for our dear friend," Aelita told her, putting a hand on hers to reassure her.

"It was almost like losing you to the digital sea. Only this time, we didn't have a way to get you back. We could only hope you were strong enough to make it to the surface again. And you did, so welcome back, Yumi," Jeremie spoke up.

"Welcome back, Yumi," the others chimed in as well.

"Glad to be back," she said, "I really appreciate what you all did – or still do – for me. It was really hard without everyone. But it felt like I had a few walls to break down, before I could face you again. I don't believe I'm there yet. Although, I'm positive I will. Thanks for being such great friends."

"No problem, Yumi," Odd cheerfully responded, voicing what the others thought.

"Okay, now that we're all up to date about everyone's lives, Aelita and I have an announcement. We're at the final stages of implementing our new game. And we have some news on the limited edition. We have planned to release the game two months from now, which would be the end of February. The limited edition will be released simultaneously. However, we would like you three to test the game for us in our lab at the company. Are you up for it?" Jeremie explained. He saw three excited faces when he asked if they would like to test the game.

"Yeah! Count me in. I've been wondering about this special edition of yours," Ulrich said.

Odd just whooped and Yumi calmly stated that she was also willing to help.

"Great, we would like the test to take place one month from now. If weekdays are inconvenient, we can schedule it during the weekend. You only have to let me know, I'll make it work," Aelita said. They all nodded.

After a few more hours, they parted ways. Odd went with Yumi and Ulrich, since he was staying over at Ulrich's place and Yumi had to go in the same direction. Aelita and Jeremie went the other way.

Yumi was thinking about how nice the day had been, spending time with her friends again after such a long time. "I told you, it was going to be fine," Ulrich whispered in her ear. "You were right, maybe I was too stressed," Yumi admitted. He grinned. "Maybe you were," he said and leaned back. Odd tried to ignore the intimacy they showed. It led him to seeing someone they all hadn't really missed.

"Uhm guys, I think I see William," Odd informed them. He squinted his eyes, but there was nothing to doubt. William was waiting in front of the apartment building Yumi lived in. "Great," she sighed. "Guess I'll ask him what he's been up to. See you guys later." Odd waved at her with a silly smile. Ulrich merely watched her go.

"You're one strong man Ulrich," Odd commented as they watched Yumi and William enter the building.

"Don't ask me how I do that though," Ulrich said, still staring at the place they disappeared from sight.

Odd laughed and clapped him on the back. "I don't think I want to know!"

"Are you waiting for her?" Odd questioned out of the blue.

Ulrich shook his head. "No. Although it would be a lie if I said that I don't want her by my side. But I won't interfere on purpose. If she's content, if I see her smile, I think I can overcome it with time," he answered.

"I'm sorry buddy," Odd said. He saw his friend's painful expression. "Thanks Odd." Ulrich knew Odd understood what he was going through. He trusted that he would keep it to himself, as much as he trusted Aelita and Jeremie to do the same. "Let's play some video games. Winner has to cook dinner," Odd dared him.

It reminded him of Yumi cooking dinner for the two of them. He smiled to himself, knowing that neither Odd nor he himself would be able to make something that good. "Fine by me, we'll mess that up anyway."

"Hey! I think I'm an amazing cook!" Odd said, throwing his hands behind his head.

"We'll see," Ulrich picked up the pace to walk ahead.

"I'm serious!" Odd caught up with him.

"Yeah, yeah."

They continued to walk to Ulrich's place and discussed which video games they were going to play.

"Let's have fun tonight buddy!" Odd exclaimed.

"Like good old times," Ulrich said.

* * *

**A/N: By the way! To all readers! Thank you very much for all your reviews (and follows and favs)! It's always great to read your thoughts :)!**


	18. Chapter 17: Point of View

**A/N: Hello there! Update time! Drama, drama. I have a little announcement to make. The Monday after this, I'll be going on a little holiday for a few days. This basically means I probably won't be able to write next week, for preparations. Or the week after, because I won't be home. Or the week after, because that'll be the start of another college year. I might be able to squeeze in an update, but it won't be much.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi closed the door to her apartment. William had already taken off his shoes and had seated himself on her sofa. "I'll make tea," she announced and entered the kitchen. William seemed itchy to tell her something and she wondered what it would be about. Although she hadn't invited him to the group's reunion, she hadn't felt bad about it. Yumi now had faith that nothing would get in the way of their friendship again. "_But William is there,"_ Yumi trailed off in her mind. Her boyfriend hadn't exactly shown any effort of wanting to befriend the others again. She was worried it wouldn't happen too.

"Here," she handed him his cup and sat next to him. "Thanks," he replied. Yumi firmly held her cup to warm her hands. "So what brings you here today?" She asked. "Do you need something?" William looked at her and for a moment she was startled by his serious look.

"If this is about being with Ulrich and Odd, we were just returning from our get together. I told you about it, right?" Yumi spoke first.

"It's not," he coldly answered. William hadn't been bothered by the fact that Yumi hadn't asked him to come along. But he wouldn't have gone if she had asked. He was never a great fit for their little group of friends. Truthfully, he also never felt connected to them, except for Yumi. When he saw her laughing, walking between Odd and Ulrich, he tried to remember the last time he had gotten her to laugh that openly. But it had felt like such a long time ago. He noticed Yumi was still expecting him to continue.

"Not entirely anyway," he changed his answer. "Yumi, I know you dislike the fact that I don't try to be part to be part of your circle of friends. The sudden return of basically everyone is worrisome for me. I thought you didn't want to fall back into that uneasiness, but you readily accepted all that has overcome you in the last weeks. To be honest, I was completely surprised by the fast progress."

She interrupted him. "I guess that's because we're so close. There wasn't a need to postpone talking about.. me."

He sighed. "Can you tell me something? Aren't you afraid that you will be hurt again? Do you really want to go through that again?" Yumi was confused. "What makes you think it will happen again?" He rose one eyebrow to emphasize his disbelief. "Let's face it. I am not on great terms with the others. There will always be friction. We won't know how long it'll take before you start disagreeing about different issues."

"So you're not even going to try to blend in? Are you forgetting that you've been through a lot with us as well? You don't have to severe the link that we all share," Yumi put her hand on his, "I think it's fine to give it a shot." She thought back to moments she had attempted to create a truce between Ulrich and William. Somehow, they were in a similar situation again.

"I am fine with the current situation. In fact, I prefer it more. We built this stable relationship with just us two, Yumi. You ended up depressed when you went your own way. I was glad you relied on me during those times. I don't want to see it all fall apart," he hesitantly spoke his mind.

"You're exaggerating and you know it. William, you can't take away the friends I have. Sure, I get that you're not content with the way things have gone. But I'm truly happy that everyone is together once more. Today, that feeling of harmony we used to have, returned. It made me realize how much I've actually missed them all during the years we were apart. However, it is not a reason to state that we can't make it through. Why have you been so anxious about us William? This is definitely not the first time and I don't think it's necessarily related to what has happened in the last few weeks. Approximately one year into our relationship you went through this phase where you showed your doubts about me. And it was always about Ulrich. Why did you try to re-ignite my painful memories at that time?" Yumi responded. She hoped William was willing to share his thoughts.

"What? Don't deviate from the topic at hand. I have my reasons for this unease. The one who your heart _once_ went out to, is now around you from 9 to 5. When you're not with me, I have to worry about whether or not _he_ will make any moves. Or whether you will go out somewhere which _he_ can misunderstand for a date. Oh wait, you already did that, but it can happen again. As for the others. Of course they were always supportive of _him_ and could influence you into changing your mind about our private matters. I don't like it," William blurted out.

"This is exactly what I meant! You're always associating everything with Ulrich! He hasn't even done anything! WHY CAN'T YOU STOP ACCUSING _US_!?" Yumi shouted at him. William got up, but Yumi yanked him down.

"You are not leaving without answering me. It's all one big contradiction. First you help me through everything in the beginning. When I got homesick and I missed my family so much, you were there. When I got lonely, you were there. I never complained about not having any friends anymore, because I felt that I didn't deserve that. Your company was my comfort then. You did everything to make me feel better. So why did you change? Have I ever mentioned Ulrich by myself? Was I ever the first to start a conversation that involved him? No, right? TELL ME! Why would you re-open old wounds if you were so determined to be steady with me?"

William stared at her, but his gaze seemed to go through her. He wanted to leave. Not now, he didn't want this.

"I'll show you," he said as he got up and tugged Yumi with him. He then quickly pulled her into a hug, firmly embracing her. Yumi struggled in his grasp. "What are you doing?" William made a noise that told her to stay silent. "Imagine a moment where we did this without me comforting you, but just because we like each other. Can you relish such a moment? Do your feelings intensify?" He whispered to her. Yumi stiffened.

"I'm sure there have been moments where I have," she slowly said, failing to convince both herself and William. "Yumi," he held her back at arm's length, "during the first year we were dating, you were still getting used to everything. You desperately tried to move on from your former living circumstances and you made me your saviour. I was fine with that. In fact, I loved it and appreciated that you had that trust in me. Trust that others never fully had. When we spent time together, you were always hesitant when I came closer to you, hugged you or kissed you. But you went along with it. I don't know if you did that because you were distracting yourself from your past or whether you did that for me." He noticed she wanted to say something, but he shook his head. A sign for her to wait.

"It wasn't easy for me. While being aware that you don't completely reciprocate my feelings I was willing to be in a relationship with you. I was always thinking along the lines of "Maybe once she gets to know me more" or "Maybe she'll learn to love me". However, after that year – after we sort of got into a routine – I changed my methods of getting you to notice me. I mean, I think I had the right to, since there weren't any indications that you wanted to end our relationship," William added. Yumi was still listening intently, relieved that he had decided to open up to her.

"So, I started to drop Ulrich's name here and there. My actual intention was to make you think differently. I thought that if I got you to compare Ulrich's past self with my current self in a certain situation, you'd try to avoid it or approach it in another way. Some things were just uncomfortable for me. You treated me like you would any other friend from your group. And I wanted to go forward. However, now that you have talked to me about how you felt, I'm starting to see how unfair I have been." He looked at the television and saw himself in the reflection. "I hope you're not angry," he said, smiling sadly.

Yumi's head was filled with all sorts of thoughts and flashbacks of phases they had gone through. "I'm sorry, William. It went passed me. I had no idea. I'm really thankful that you've done this much for our relationship," she told him. At the same time, she attempted to recall moments where she must have given William hope of her coming to love him. It was true that she had relied on William a lot in the beginning, maybe even so much so that she had been unaware of the closeness or willingness she must have implied.

"This misunderstanding is my fault. And I hate to admit it, but my jealousy had risen to a level where I didn't pay attention to how much I might have hurt you. I'm sorry for that," William finally apologized. "And I never wanted to take away your friends. Don't worry," he affirmed.

She smiled a little. Maybe William was merely that afraid of not having her in his life anymore. "They won't reject you. At most, they will need some time to get used to you once more. We have been through this before. This time, I'll stand by your side. We can make it work," she encouraged him.

William had a bad feeling this would go wrong, but he had decided to try this. Perhaps she would start to see him in another light if he managed to be friendly to the others. "Fine, I'll try. Happy now," he said, showing her a grin.

He hugged her with one arm and put his other hand on her cheek. Yumi knew what this meant. Despite the conversation they just shared, she was not in the mood for any type of affection. William noticed and kept it to a slight caress. "I think I'll go home now, you have work tomorrow," he said. Yumi nodded. "Okay, I'll come with you," she offered to walk him to the exit of the building. "No, thanks. It's pretty cold, so stay here. I'll see you soon. Good night," he kissed her on the cheek. He walked to the hallway and whispered dejectedly to himself. "Do you really like me Yumi?"

Yumi caught that sentence. It shocked her. In what sense? Was she shocked that William wondered whether what she felt for him was real? Or was she shocked because she never really gave that question much thought? Did that mean she was not only lying to William, but to herself as well? To what extend did she really like William? The least she could state with certainty was the fact that the answer wasn't "Not at all".

"Good night," she called after him. He gave a small wave as he headed out.

All Yumi wanted now was a hot shower to take her mind off things. This short period of time had been so stressful, yet enlightening for Yumi. Maybe Yumi would be able to find a way to balance it all. That was a possibility too, right?


	19. Chapter 18: Stress

**A/N: An update! I hope you can all forgive me for being late. But, you were warned ;)! Anyway, I'm alive and the story goes on! Great! Thanks for your support :)! Reviews, follow, favs, all of it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

It was a Thursday afternoon and the newest project had been underway for two weeks when things went downhill for the team. So Yumi and Ulrich were having an emergency meeting in their office.

"We're in trouble. The designer we hired suddenly decided to cancel his participation in this project. He claimed to have gotten a better deal at our rival company. But I'm pretty sure we straightened out the benefits of working with us. Our connections are excellent and we have splendid partners. I don't understand," Ulrich started to ramble.

"That's not all. Half of our team is not able to attend the first meeting tomorrow because of other appointments that tie them down," Yumi stated after checking her notebook. "They all notified me yesterday afternoon." Yumi checked her watch. It read 05:13 PM.

"Yes, I saw it in the agenda. This will influence our results. We are supposed to deliver a prototype to our client in another two weeks' time. Without a designer and without full presence of our team, we won't make it. You can hardly call what we have been doing a proper start. On top of that, their focus is completely elsewhere. Everyone is spending time with their respective departments, which is fine, but they haven't divided their schedules efficiently. I really feel like punching some sense into them. The employees of our client have been informed wrongly and I have had to set several things straight to keep them from worrying too much," Ulrich went on. Yumi checked her watch again. It read 05:16 PM.

"Okay, we'll address those points in tomorrow's meeting," she scribbled important key words in her notebook, "I'll prepare the presentation at home tonight. Let's search for another designer when the meeting is over. We should have plenty of time, because the meeting takes place around 08:00 AM," Yumi told him as she checked her watch again. This time it displayed 05:18 PM.

"Do you need to be somewhere?" Ulrich finally asked her, having gotten slightly annoyed by her constant glancing at her watch. "Sorry," Yumi said, "I have an exam in one hour and 42 minutes and I'm just a little nervous."

"Why didn't you take the day off?" He asked her. "Well, I didn't want to let you handle everything by yourself. The next two weeks will be important, especially after our rough start," she explained. Ulrich crossed his arms and frowned. "I appreciate that, but I'm fine on my own. It's just a matter of reorganizing," he told her.

"That might be, but it's still quite a lot. Schedules, methods, allocations. Actually, almost everything!" Yumi reasoned. "Yes and I will think about it all night if I have to. However, that plan has to be finished by tomorrow morning and I won't overlook important aspects," Ulrich spoke as he ushered her towards the door. "Please use your last minutes to skim through your notes or whatever you have to do. I'll call you later tonight for a status update."

"But, I can still -," Yumi was interrupted by Ulrich. "Nope, you can only focus on your exam. And from now on you'll add your exams or any deadlines you have into our shared agenda. It's okay, I won't mind. Work is a lot of hassle at the moment, but I wish that it will never interfere with your studies." Ulrich flashed her a grin and closed the door on her. After that he tapped a cup of water from the tank and drank it in one go. This was in fact another stress factor for him, one that was inevitable. "Not going to let that bother me," he said to himself as he continued to form a plan to save the project they were working on.

* * *

Yumi was seated in a classroom at the exam location. Perhaps it was because her last exam hadn't exactly gone as planned (although she had still passed), that she was feeling jittery. "It is obligatory to turn off all types of electronics!" A voice was heard throughout the classroom. Hearing the supervisors talk, meant it was almost time. Yumi was about to turn off her phone when she saw the notification of a message. It was from Ulrich.

_Good luck Yumi._

She smiled. There was no time to reply. Yumi switched off her phone, while feeling slightly less nervous. "_Let's get this done. I have a boss to help_," she thought.

* * *

Ulrich entered the apartment building he lived in. Luck was not on his side however as he spotted someone he absolutely could do without at the moment. William was standing in front of the elevator, among a group of other people. "So we actually live in the same complex? Rotten luck," Ulrich grumpily whispered to himself. He checked his letter box and waited it out. He wasn't avoiding him, but he figured fatigue and crankiness weren't the best combination of feelings to deal with William. Too bad he stayed behind. Ulrich groaned.

His former rival was talking on the phone while pacing to and fro in front of the grey doors he wished to step through. Maybe he wouldn't see him? Ulrich scoffed at himself. "_Are you seriously going to avoid this guy?_" He thought. As much as he actually wanted to do that, he couldn't. The stairwell was closed off for renovation, set to be finished by the end of this week. He sighed and grumpily walked over to the elevators. Ulrich tried to wait with nonchalance, but he ended up overhearing parts of William's conversation.

"You had an exam today?" William sounded surprised. Ulrich frowned. This meant he was conversing with Yumi right? "Why didn't you tell me? I thought you'd be coming over," he heard him say. "So are you still stopping by then?" That sounded hopeful. Ulrich wondered why the elevator was taking this long. "Yes, mine are next week, but we can still see each other for a bit right?" Desperation? Ulrich decided to press the button in front of him once more. "Fine, see you tomorrow then. Good night." It was an abrupt ending to the call.

William noticed his seemingly eternal rival waiting for the elevator. "What are you doing here?" A demand to know, not a question, let alone a greeting.

"Going home," Ulrich wanted to keep this short. "You live here?" William was genuinely surprised. But it could also have been the shock of finding out about that detail. "Somewhere up there, yes," he vaguely pointed upwards, truthfully providing him with information that he probably didn't want to know. "As if meeting you again wasn't enough," William mumbled to himself. "You make it sound like we're living together. I'm not thrilled to see you here either," Ulrich countered. The elevator dinged and they stepped inside. Silence followed after they pressed the buttons for their respective floors.

Both of them hadn't ever experienced a more awkward silence in their lives.

"How's Yumi?" Ulrich blurted out the question without thinking about it twice. Of course, he had a fine idea of how Yumi was doing. Stressed out of her mind, just like him. How many worries would she have by now? The amount had most likely increased ever since their little reunion at the reception. Time went by slowly, yet quickly at the same time. It felt like Yumi had been by his side for much longer than the past few weeks.

Thinking of Yumi got him side-tracked, so he focused his attention back on the present conversation. "She's fine." The reply lacked confidence. Ulrich rose an eyebrow to show his suspicion. It had irked him more than he thought it would. "Did she do well on her exam?" He continued to question. "Why do you know _that_?" William counter-questioned. "She told me before she left for work," Ulrich told him. "Right… I'm sure it went well," William speculated.

"Meaning, you don't know because you were too busy emphasizing the wrong things." Ulrich suddenly had a serious expression on his face. "You could have at least asked her how it went, instead of being persistent in meeting up," he carried on. His gaze fell upon the wall of the elevator. Why would he bother to look at William? He was sure they would have the same dead glare to show.

"And I believe I told you to mind your own business," William fiercely made Ulrich look at him as he said that.

Ulrich put up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm not interfering with your relationship, aren't I? I'm just giving you a piece of advice. You should consider it," he firmly stood his ground as he lowered his arms.

"Thanks," William gave a sarcastic reply, "I don't need it."

"You're going to regret hurting Yumi," Ulrich warned him.

"That applies to you. How do you think you made her feel when she left?" William asked him.

"Devastated," Ulrich's confidently replied as stared at the doors. It stunned William into silence.

He looked at William, while trying to hide his pain. "We all were," he revealed. "You had a chance to fix that. I won't forgive you for ruining it."

William had no answer to that statement. He wanted to deny it all, but the aura around Ulrich caused him to hold back. "Yumi… she requested me to try to be friends with you guys," he calmly disclosed. Ulrich frowned. "I was against it. I still am. I told her I was going to try. However, I think we both know that you and I will never enter the friend zone. So, thanks for the advice, but Yumi and I are doing just fine." At that moment, the elevator stopped on the sixth floor and William got out. He walked away without speaking to him again. He wanted to pretend that Ulrich's words meant nothing to him. But that small voice in his head admitting that Ulrich had a point wouldn't leave.

Ulrich was preoccupied with all thoughts that stormed into his mind all at once. He almost missed his cue to step out on the tenth floor. "Next time, I should probably just shut up," he said to himself, while opening the door to his spacious apartment. He had eaten cup noodles for dinner. Unfortunately, that didn't satisfy his stomach. So he made himself some sandwiches and plopped down on his black leather sofa. He put his laptop on the table in front of him. Before starting his work, Ulrich called Yumi.

"Hey, are you home?" He asked.

"Arrived about ten seconds ago," he could practically hear her grinning.

"And? How did your exam go?" Somehow he was nervous for the answer.

"It went really well! I'm relieved. I guess all the late night study sessions helped after all," she told him and he instantly felt better. "Good, that's good," he replied, smiling slightly.

"How's the plan coming along?" Her question made him glance at his work on his laptop.

"Not," the line went still for a second. "But I'll get there," he reassured her.

"Good luck. I'll be sending you the presentation later tonight," Yumi confirmed.

"Sure, take your time. I'm sure you're tired, so take it easy," Ulrich said. Had that sounded too caring? He shook his head. "Anyway, you don't have to hurry. With a little luck, I won't have to pull an all-nighter for this," he awkwardly laughed it off, and heard her pure laughter in return.

"Sounds like you're the one that needs to take it easy," she said.

"Maybe," he grinned. "Good night Yumi, I'm glad your exam went well."

"Thanks, good night. See you tomorrow," Yumi ended their call.

Such a normal conversation had just taken place. However, they were both hiding their inner feelings.

Yumi was actually disheartened that William hadn't even once asked about her well-being, her exam or her feelings in general. Was it too much to ask? She recalled the moments when he used to be much more concerned for her. He would attentively stay by her side. She would have to search far and wide to find that in William now. And what about Ulrich? Was she ready to drag him back into the same cycle once again? For that was going to happen again. Even though she wanted to prevent that at all costs, she was sure of it. In the end, it was always going to be the same, right?

Ulrich couldn't focus. His thoughts kept going from Yumi to William and back. Now he had to find the right timing to tell Yumi about meeting William today, before the story would be told to her in a twisted way. More importantly, before she would be reprimanded about it. The current William was capable of that and he hated that he had no right to do anything about it. Or at least, that is what felt like to him. Was it really okay like this? Should they all attempt to be friends? Strive towards the goal of being able to stand each other? He leaned back on his sofa. "Maybe a little workout will clear my head." He changed into gym clothes and left his apartment.

He hoped that running a few kilometres was going to calm him down. It had to. After all, tomorrow would be an important day.

* * *

**A/N: Until next time! Reminder: Unless stated otherwise, bi-weekly updates, although I always attempt to make the weekly updates happen. See chapter 16 for first notice.**


	20. Chapter 19: A Threatening Effort

**A/N: Hello! I'm back! I believe I'm just in time for the two-week deadline? No? I don't know. But this chapter is finally here :D! Thanks for the reviews :)! It's funny how I often get one right before I plan to update xD. Don't worry, they keep the fire going! This story will be worked on no matter what :D! Okay, enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

The next day Ulrich and Yumi presented the full reports of their observations and the plans to improve and carry on with the project. However, unity seemed to be absent in the team and several colleagues started to complain yet again.

"Excuse me sir, but what can we possibly do without a designer for this project? Isn't it futile to continue? After all, we do have other important businesses to attend to," the head of the Financial Department spoke his mind. Yumi found their lack of determination to save this project quite annoying. "For what reason, might I ask, do you want to let this opportunity go?" Yumi directed her question towards him. "Considering the high probability of the client cancelling the contract, don't you think it would be the most logical choice? The unlikeliness that we will be able to deliver an end product that meets all requirements, plus the cut in the finances will also damage our reputation," he claimed.

Others started to agree with the head of the Financial Department, adding reasons that suited their respective departments best. "It's up to us to prove that we can still make it! I cannot believe you all to be this disinterested. This deal was finalized after Ulrich attentively spent time with our client to hear out his wishes," Yumi put her hand on Ulrich's shoulder for a short moment to stress her point. "Isn't the client's gratitude and satisfaction our main objective? Can we really be picky about this? Merely because times seem dire now?" Yumi saw her colleagues frowning. Some looked like they were ashamed of not giving the project a chance. Others just hated the idea of being scolded by an assistant.

"This plan was worked out with everyone's schedule in mind. Despite the fact that you had to free time or reserve time for this project, Ulrich went out of his way to lessen your workload. I'm asking you to reconsider your input, both for our team's sake as well as the company's," Yumi calmly told them.

Ulrich smiled at her. It felt nice to have someone stick up for him, but he wasn't going to let anyone drive him into a corner. He certainly wouldn't want Yumi to worry about it. "And that's that," everyone focused their attention on the manager. "I've addressed this before. If you have questions or _complaints_, please come to me. We can work them out. If you'd rather discuss things in private, please ask Yumi to schedule that in my agenda," he added.

"After this meeting we have several interviews planned with potential replacements for our previous designer. I cannot guarantee that we will be successful in finding a good match for our project. But let's take this opportunity to make the best of things. At the very least, to strengthen our hold as a team," he looked around to see if anyone had any objections. All was quiet. "_That's a start,_" Ulrich thought, before he concluded the meeting. "On Monday I want everybody present at 08:00 AM for a status update on your tasks. Please prepare your documentation carefully. See you then," Ulrich finished. He briefly made eye contact with Yumi, who gave him a reassuring nod. The two of them went back to their office.

Yumi plopped down on her chair. "Ugh, they really give me a headache," she whined as she massaged her temples. Ulrich laughed. "They really are. You know, originally, I wasn't supposed to become the manager of this team. My Uncle wanted me to help him, to get to know the ropes of the business some more. My father was against that. According to him one must be able to stand on his own feet. It doesn't matter if you have no experience. You learn along the way. He told me "All of us have been through the same. Show me a Stern's worth". I hated it. However, I cannot oppose him. It's not like I have anything else I want to do, seeing as my leg won't get me a place in a soccer team anymore," Ulrich looked at his leg and shook it a little. "But now, I understand why they have so much pride. After I started out, it slowly became fun to work here. It's a challenge and I do like those after all. Our colleagues will come around. I'll make sure they will. So don't worry," he said, ruffling Yumi's hair.

"I hope we succeed," she sounded worried despite Ulrich's claim.

"We will. Are you ready? It's almost time," he informed her. Yumi got up and tapped herself a cup of cold water. Once she drank it, she nodded. "Yep, let's go," she said.

* * *

Ulrich and Yumi were interviewing the fifth designer of the day. It was also the last one on the list. "I'm sorry, but I don't think your ideals are in line with our requirements for this project. Maybe we will collaborate in the future. Thank you for coming here," Yumi politely declined the designer. She thanked them for their time and exited the room.

"We'll never find one," Yumi declared. She was really concerned about the progress they were (not) making.

"Shall we go outside to eat lunch? Maybe we'll have a Eureka moment like Einstein always has," Ulrich suggested. Yumi grinned. "Sure. It might just make my headache disappear." Ulrich frowned in concern. "Is it bad?" Yumi shook her head. "No, I think I had too little to drink. It will be over soon," she explained. "Okay, let's go then," he said.

They walked towards Ulrich's car and drove to the café Ulrich had promised to take Yumi closely after they met again. "Hey, isn't this the place where we met up with Aelita when we visited ELITA?" Yumi asked as he parked the car in one of the available places in front of the building. "Yeah, but this is a different branch. Each one sells the same basic menu, but there are a few special products unique to each branch. You'll love these cakes, I know you will," he told her as they entered the café.

That remark caused Yumi to blush. Somehow it had that effect on her. "I'll find a place to sit. You can surprise me with those supposedly delicious cakes then," she averted her gaze, seemingly looking for a table for two. She actually only wanted to avoid having Ulrich see her blushing madly. Too bad for her, he already noticed it when she had turned away to scan the area for a place to sit. "_Still cute,_" he thought and chuckled when she hurriedly made her way over to a table in the corner located opposite of the entrance.

Yumi sat down on the leather seat of the chair. She softly slapped her cheeks and shook her head a little. "Keep it together Yumi," she told herself.

Ulrich arrived with a plastic card in his hand. A large blue five was written on it. "They said they'll bring it over," he casually pointed behind him, "so how's your headache?"

"It has lessened, but it's still there." Ulrich watched her. He knew she would act all composed, while she might be feeling worse instead of better. "Here is your order sir," a waitress had come to their table with a bunch of cakes and two cups of tea. Yumi spotted two different cakes and she instantly recognized them. "Hey, these are Japanese cakes! They sell these here? I hadn't expected that. You know, last time I went home we made the macha roll cake," she pointed at the green role cake with red filling, "I tried making the fluffy cheesecake too, but it didn't turn out.. fluffy," she went on, then abruptly stopped when she realized she was going off topic. Yumi laughed sheepishly. It made Ulrich laugh in return. "Thanks Ulrich, it's really great."

"You're welcome," he said. Ulrich didn't immediately start eating his lunch. "Yumi, I want to tell you something. I figured it'd be best if I told you as soon as possible," he said. Yumi swallowed a piece of cake and tensed up. "What's wrong?" He sighed. "I met William yesterday, at the apartment complex I live at. It appears that we live a few floors apart," he revealed. Yumi sat frozen. She didn't know how to react to that. She hadn't given it much more thought after having spotted Ulrich that one time. And she couldn't just tell him now "Yeah I deduced as much when I hid behind the letter boxes when I was visiting William". "_Must have been an uncomfortable situation_," she thought.

"I'm only telling you, in case William decides to make a big deal out of it," Ulrich said, looking a little annoyed. A few weeks ago, she would've defended William upon hearing such a remark. But after their recent fights and fiery discussion, she felt it was highly possible that William would blame her for something random again. But, one couldn't simply assume that. "I'm sure he isn't thrilled about it either," Yumi settled with. "Right," Ulrich said. A matter-of-fact answer. "At least he doesn't know which apartment is mine. Not really looking forward to seeing him on my doorstep," he joked, but sounded pessimistic.

Yumi laughed about it. "I doubt he would." She imagined the two of them having a tea time and immediately shook the thought away. "Yeah, I don't think you need to worry about that," she assured him. "No kidding," he replied and grinned afterwards. "Thanks for telling me though." Yumi appreciated it.

They started to eat again. It was silent for a while. Ulrich inspected is cake and wondered how well Yumi was able to make them now. He thought about her cake story and spoke up again when they were halfway done.

"Do you miss your parents a lot?" Ulrich asked her. "Yeah, every day. Hiroki too. Sometimes it's like I don't have time to think about them. We live a few hours apart now and it's hard not having them close by. But we stay in contact. Hiroki is growing up so fast, you would be proud of him. He enrolled into a martial arts school, claiming he wanted to be as cool as you. That was years ago though. Now, he tries to beat me when I come over. He hasn't won once," she smirked after telling him the story.

He smiled at her. "I would like to see him again someday," he vaguely announced. "Well, you could. He has a small break coming up at the end of January. Hiroki will have a week of free time. The weekend before I'll be going home and stay over. You can visit us, if you're not busy," Yumi proposed it without thinking it through. Suddenly they were both silent.

"But I guess that would be awkward huh..," she trailed off. Recollections of her past conversations with Hiroki floated around in her mind. How he was against William. How he tolerated it. How he supported her, while still scolding her for her stupid decisions when he found out why she left. Somewhere during last year's summer, Hiroki started questioning Yumi on whether or not she was still in contact with Ulrich. She had accidentally told him that she didn't want to be confused by Ulrich anymore. That it was part of the reasons why she left. Hiroki had been down for a few days afterwards. It had seemed like he still had hopes of being buddies with Ulrich again. "Nevermind that, what are we going to do? We need a designer right?"

"I'll come," Ulrich suddenly said. "Hmm?" Yumi didn't catch on. "I said I'll come visit you and Hiroki. Well.. and your parents. I can catch up with Hiroki that way, right?" Yumi blankly nodded her head. "I don't know how much you told them of what has happened to you. I won't ask your family anything. Neither will I ask you. We'll tell them I just stopped by to say hi. If you're okay with that," he said, scratching his head. Before she could answer, he continued. "But I guess William won't be happy with that huh," Ulrich's expression held a sudden seriousness. "No," Yumi simply replied.

She was worried. Would her parents figure things out on their own if Ulrich came over? Was it obvious she had been avoiding her friends before their spontaneous reunion? Hiroki had sworn not to tell a soul about what they had discussed and she believed that he hadn't. Would it be too strange if Ulrich came over? Or was it truly an old friend's visit? "Useless thoughts," a voice in her head spoke up. "You know you want him to come over. Hiroki will be happy, your parents will welcome your old friend. Easy, right?"

Except, it was anything but easy. Ulrich eyed her. Yumi was frowning, lost in thoughts. "You okay?" He asked her. She snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was thinking about my parents. It's weird, because I've never really concealed anything from them. It's stupid. I mean, when I was in love with...," she paused, "I told them. Isn't it strange that I couldn't truthfully explain to them what I felt and wanted at those moments?"

Ulrich understood that Yumi must in fact have left behind a lot when she chose to leave her home. In ways it had created a wall between her parents and herself. "I'm sorry, you wouldn't have had these troubles if I had talked to you after graduation." He held his hand to his head, putting his elbow on the table for support. "What? No, everything is my fault. I.. just wished I had spoken to my parents. They don't deserve to be left in the dark like that," she shared. "Who knows, maybe I would have had a change of heart about things."

"I'll be your moral support then. When you're home, tell your parents those things you want them to know. Everybody hides things from their parents. That's okay, you don't need to be fully detailed if you don't want to. I'm sure they'll understand it all. You're their beloved daughter right?" He grinned at her. "If you need me, although I probably won't be of much use, I'll be right next to you," he offered. "Do you want that?" Ulrich changed his question on purpose. If he would have asked whether she would be okay with it, he was positive Yumi would have doubted. As expected, Yumi softly replied with a "yes".

"You must have felt lonely without the feeling of the true bonding with your parents. I know you value them with all your heart. But you don't have to be lonely. I'll always help you out," he told her, putting his hand over hers. "Thanks, Ulrich," she said. Tears were close to falling and she desperately tried to hold them back.

"Hey, lovebirds!" A voice interrupted their conversation. The two of them looked up and saw Odd standing there, totally energetic. Hearing the nickname after such a long time shocked them a little and they stared at Odd. The flamboyant young man realized what he said. Then he noticed Yumi's sad expression. "What's wrong Yumi?" He asked her, trying to divert their attention. Yumi rubbed her eyes. "I've got a headache," she said. Ulrich was visibly concerned again. "Nothing to worry about," Yumi added. However, the emotional impact of those words weighed differently as the words were directed at both of them.

"That's good then!" Odd said. "What are you doing here?" Ulrich questioned him.

"Kelly and I just had lunch and I wanted to take home a cake, so I came in. Then I saw you two. And here I am," he presented himself. "Always food," Ulrich remarked. "Well, now that he's barely _not_ scrawny anymore, he needs to feed himself to keep it that way huh," Yumi teased. "I guess you're right," Ulrich chimed in. "Okay, okay, I'm happy to see you too," Odd said, indicating with his hands that he had enough.

"Hey, you have experience as a designer right?" Yumi stated, not wanting to let this chance slip through their fingers. "Uhm, yeah, mainly for the development of games. I work as a part time freelancer next to my studies. I'm in my last year and I have to do a paper about practical experience I've had as a designer, but so far I've only worked in that specific field," Odd answered.

Ulrich figured out what Yumi was going for. "Ah, you might want to add another area to your list then? Variation shows your capabilities right?" Ulrich and Yumi both looked at Odd with intense stares this time. "Uhh guys, you're acting weird, you know." Odd stepped back.

The two of them dropped their act. "We're looking for a new designer for our project. The one we hired decided not to go through with it. We've had some interviews today. All candidates were lacking in both enthusiasm and creativity. It was kind of unsettling and depressing that we couldn't find a proper replacement. But, you could make things happen with your talent for arts," Ulrich praised him. "Do you want to work with us?"

Odd pondered for a while before agreeing. "I'll do it! It's a perfect timing actually. I haven't had a job for a while and my paper was indeed running a blank. I'm available on Wednesdays and Fridays. If you need me on other days, I can always check whether or not I can come. So don't sweat it and call me when in trouble! I, superhuman Odd, will deal with everything!" He proudly pointed to himself. "Well then, I'm going home with my cake! Bye!"

"Wait! Don't you want to know what the project is about?!" Yumi quickly stood up to stop Odd from leaving, but sat down just as quick when she felt her headache had actually worsened. Both males looked worried. "I'll call you later to inform you about the details," Ulrich told Odd, who nodded in return before quietly leaving the café.

"Yumi, I'll take you home," he said and held out his hand for her to take. Somewhere in the back of her mind Yumi thought of William claiming that Ulrich and her were crossing lines that they shouldn't be able to cross as friends. But she couldn't find it in herself to retort. She was feeling dizzy. She would blame it on the dizziness. Was that alright?

As she took hold of his hand, her heartrate went up. Surely it was just the dizziness.

However, Ulrich felt the same. And as they walked towards the car, they couldn't feel the winter's cold anymore. He opened the door for her and she silently got in. When Ulrich closed the door, he took a few deep breaths. "Don't go there," he whispered to himself before walking around the car to get in the driver's seat. Yumi had closed her eyes and was calmly breathing in and out. "Sorry for the trouble," she said. "No problem. I'll bring you home and then I'll share the good news with our team," he referred to Odd becoming their new designer.

"Hmm," Yumi hummed in approval.

Ulrich glanced at her one last time. "_Yes, it's fine like this_," he convinced himself in his mind as he started the drive to Yumi's apartment.

At the same time Yumi was deep in thought. It had occurred to her when Ulrich agreed to come visit her family. He was still unaware of Yumi's past and current feelings about him. Aelita's warning rang through her mind. "_Don't wait too long._"

Perhaps it was really time to open up to Ulrich about everything.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter is really important! A review for your thoughts :)? See you very very soon! Yes, you read that right. On a side note, chapter 20 already... Time sure flies. Thanks for reading!**


	21. Chapter 20: Overtime

**A/N: Hello, chapter 20 speaking. Chapter 19 has been altered a little. The part where they're in the cafe changed. Please read the changes before continuing. Of course it doesn't apply to readers that read chapter 19 two days after it was posted. Anyway, I'm trying my hardest to get back to updating in the weekend (other previously mentioned rules still apply, it's hard to post during weekdays). So wish me luck haha! Kind of a long note now, but thanks for the reviews, follows and favs :)! Enjoy the read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Ulrich and Yumi stood in the hallway of her apartment. He had supported her on their way there. Yumi's dizziness had still been present. "Thanks for taking me home," she said softly. "No problem. Rest properly, I'll take care of work and finish today's tasks at the office," Ulrich said. "I will, I will. Normally this isn't a big deal," Yumi told him.

"It's winter. You spent days studying for your exam, probably didn't get much sleep _and_ you finished this week's presentation for the project. _That_ combination can take its toll on anyone," Ulrich stressed.

Yumi didn't feel like turning the topic into a discussion. "I know you want to help me, but you don't have to worry so much," she began, "I have had it worse than this. But you're right, I'll get some rest today and I'll be back in action tomorrow. We can sort out the next steps for the project," she said.

He chuckled. "I understand you want to help us by working as diligently as you do. We appreciate it," Ulrich started. "But… tomorrow is Saturday," he told her. "Ah," Yumi fidgeted with her sleeves. "Right."

"I'll go now," he announced, jingling his keys on his fingers. Then he turned to the door. "And Yumi, I consider you a very strong person. I'm not helping you out of pity or because I think you weak. I.. care for your well-being," Ulrich spoke up without directly facing her. "See you later."

The Japanese young woman stood there a little dumbfounded. She managed to say "thank you" in time and watched him walk out.

She locked the door and went to the bathroom. Yumi looked in the mirror. Her cheeks were a bright rosy colour once again and she felt it intensify upon seeing her reflection. All the new memories of her and Ulrich flashed before her eyes. She briefly wondered about how Ulrich had changed, while so much of him was still the same.

Yumi tidied up her apartment a bit before taking a long bath. Afterwards she put on her pyjamas and was ready to go to bed, the clock reading 03:45 PM. Sleeping was Yumi's standard remedy for headaches. Especially severe ones like today's. She was about to lie down when her doorbell rang. Yumi groaned, but went to the front door anyway. She peeked through the hole to see her neighbour's son waiting patiently. "Hang on," she called out. She fumbled with her keys before inserting the right one.

"Hello," she greeted the young boy. With his black hair and dark eyes he reminded her of how Hiroki used to be. "Hello," the boy greeted back. "I'm sorry," he began. "My ball bounced over to your balcony. My mother was taking care of the plants and the doors were left open. She tried to catch it, but it bounced right off her hands." The little boy grinned and shot her a wide smile. Yumi giggled. "So, you want me to get it?" She asked. "Yes, please," he nodded happily. "Okay, you wait here. I'll be back," she told him, closed the door and walked to the balcony.

She picked up the ball and closed the doors. Yumi returned to the front door to give it to the boy. "Here you go," she said as she handed the ball over. The boy eagerly received it and thanked her. "I'll give you my mother's cookies next time!" He shouted and ran back into his home. Yumi smiled. "I'll look forward to that!" She shouted after him.

When she had locked the front door once again, she picked up her phone from the coffee table on her way to her bedroom. There was a notification that she had been added to a group chat. Yumi checked it and saw the members were Jeremie, Aelita, Odd, Ulrich and her. Messages from her friends started to appear.

**Hi!** Odd had typed.

**Hello guys.** Jeremie followed.

**Hi.** Aelita typed.

**Hey.** Ulrich entered the chat.

She was about to reply when she noticed a black cat was walking on the balcony's railing. "Great, what if it comes in," she said to herself. Yumi wasn't very fond of pets in general, so she preferred not having any near. She went outside to chase the cat away. It jumped upon seeing her gestures and left. "How did it even get here? We're not allowed to have pets if you're not living on ground floor," she pondered aloud while putting her hand on her hip.

Her phone buzzed and she saw Odd explaining that the group chat had been Aelita's idea. She let them know that this way nobody could lose anyone's contact information again. Odd tried to defend himself, but Ulrich teased him that the possibility it would happen again was pretty high for his spiky haired best friend. Yumi laughed at the way they bickered.

She wanted to walk back inside her warm apartment, but her faith had other plans. Her slipper's strap broke. Yumi wasn't able to find her footing in time and bumped into the balcony doors, which shut themselves in the process. Dread spread across Yumi's face. Had she just locked herself outside? In this cold weather?

Instead of going into full panic mode, she acted fast and called the superintendent for floors five to ten. "Hello?" Her call was answered. "Hello, this is Yumi Ishiyama speaking. I live on the seventh floor, apartment number 720. I've locked myself outside my balcony doors. Could you please help me get back inside?" Yumi earnestly requested. "Yeah sure, I can get the spare key and come over," was the reply. She was relieved. "Thank you so much," Yumi said. "But, I'm not on the apartment building's premises. I was running an errand for my boss, so I will take at least an hour to get back."

That shattered Yumi's hope. "Isn't there anyone else who can help me out then? There should be at least one person available now, right?" She asked him. "I'm sorry, the other super is on sick leave and our helper doesn't start her shift until the start of the evening. I know it's inconvenient, but there is nothing I can do about it. I promise I'll be as quick as I can."

"Okay, please hurry," Yumi said, ending the call after hearing something that sounded like a confirmation.

She started thinking about her other options. Climbing over to her neighbours balcony and probably give them a scare. But with this weather and her condition, the risk of failure was higher than usual. Besides, her foot was starting to hurt. That meant it wasn't the best course of action. Yumi didn't have their number. They lived next to each other and there had never been an actual need for it. So the only thing left to do, was to scream and shout. But that would alert about fifty other people, which would make it all too dramatic. Yumi decided against getting help from her neighbours.

Calling William was another possible action. He could pick her locks and break into her apartment. But then she'd have to get the lock fixed. Apparently the costs were around 150 Euros because of the exclusive company the complex was tied to. Yumi didn't want to pay that much for additional costs next to her monthly fixed costs.

However, sometimes time moves quicker when you talk to someone. So she ended up calling him anyway. Yumi felt like every second was taking too long when she waited for William to answer the call. Her foot was now throbbing painfully. Eventually the call was forwarded to William's voicemail. She cursed. "Why now?" Yumi left him a message asking him if he was busy. After five minutes with no reply, she opened the group chat.

**Hey guys. Guess I'll be the first to tell a story. **Yumi typed about what had happened to her. Odd was the first to reply.

**And they say that I'm stupid. **Odd typed.

Yumi felt like punching him in his face. Of course, she couldn't. Not now at least.

**I'm going to punch you later. **She typed in response.

**Odd! That's too much. Yumi, are you okay? Try to keep moving, it'll keep you warm. **Aelita had a more human reaction in comparison to Odd.

**I'm fine. It hasn't been ten minutes yet. Although, my foot hurts and I'm not too happy about having to wait for fifty more. **Yumi typed.

**Odd, are you serious? **Ulrich entered the chat and directed his next words to Yumi. **Aelita is right. Will you be able to move with your foot like that? I hope that guy comes soon.  
**

* * *

Ulrich called her after having reprimanded Odd, who apologized. But they all knew he was just trying to lighten the mood. "Hey Yumi," he said.

"Hey," she greeted back. "I don't think I can move my foot."

"Aren't your neighbours home?" Ulrich asked her.

"I think they are, but I don't want to disturb other people. It's kind of a pain to be known as the woman that locked herself outside," she explained her reasoning. Yumi also provided him with the information that she didn't have their number.

"Hmm, okay. But if you can't take it anymore, you have to start shouting no matter what," he urged her. She smiled.

"Sure."

"Keep talking to me. It'll distract you," he said. Yumi hummed in approval, while rubbing herself in attempt to keep warm.

The conversation had been under way for fifteen minutes. Yumi was now up-to-date about the situation at work and Ulrich had switched to telling funny stories to make her laugh.

"Hello," Yumi heard Ulrich's muffled voice and looked at her phone in confusion. The volume was pretty high, so it couldn't have been that. She heard some background noise that confused her even more.

"Yumi!" This time she heard his voice very clearly and she realized it wasn't coming from her phone. She turned to her neighbours' balcony. Ulrich was standing there with an older woman and her son, who was holding onto his ball with a worried look on his face. Judging from his expression, he most likely thought it was his fault.

"Ulrich? What are you doing here?" She was bewildered.

"Checking up on you of course," he replied. Yumi just stared at him. "Are you really that worried?"

"Who wouldn't be?! You weren't exactly reassuring us now, were you?" Ulrich scolded her.

"What about work?" She still couldn't understand why he was here.

"It's finished. Really? You're thinking about work at this moment?" Ulrich found it incredible.

"Well, yes and no. I mean, what are you doing here?" Yumi asked again, failing to find other words.

He chuckled. "Saving you," he replied. "You can't move?" Ulrich double checked. Yumi shook her head.

"Then I'll come over there," Ulrich decided. "Miss, do you have a large blanket?" The woman hastily went inside to get a blanket and handed it to him when she got back. The little boy talked to Yumi and almost started to cry. "Hey, don't cry. Let's just say, I was unlucky," Yumi told him, recalling the black cat that came by. "It has nothing to do with me helping you. It happened after that," she informed him. The boy visibly cheered up and claimed he would give her a double portion of cookies. His mother smacked him on the head and they had talked about who would bake them while they headed back inside upon Ulrich's request.

"Be careful," Yumi told him, wondering if it was okay to be this casual with her neighbours. Then she wondered why her neighbours weren't questioning Ulrich's actions.

"I've got experience," he said and grinned. She knew he meant all the stunts he had pulled on Lyoko.

"Yeah, well, you can actually die now," Yumi scared him.

"Not helping," he warned her. Ulrich checked how sturdy the railing was before deciding to just go with the jump. Yumi hopped to the other end of the balcony – merely a few hops away – and hoped he would make it across in one piece. She closed her eyes.

Ulrich clenched the blanket and mentally prepared for the two meter jump. Then he leapt on the railing and set off hard with his feet. He landed on Yumi's railing, but was in danger of losing his balance. "Watch out!" Yumi shouted, having opened her eyes when she heard him land. Ulrich quickly jumped off and stood before Yumi. "So, _now_ you shout?" His remark made Yumi hit his arm. "Ouch, yeah okay, I get it," Ulrich stopped her.

He approached her and wrapped the blanket around her in such a way that it covered her feet when she sat down. He sat next to her. "Thank you for coming," Yumi said. "You've been thanking me a lot. Should I be proud of myself?" Ulrich joked. Yumi bumped her blanket-packed body against his shoulder. "Today is the exception where you may," she said. He grinned, but quickly lost his content feeling. "How is your foot?"

Yumi wriggled it around under the blanket. "Feeling numb," she admitted. "I think I sprained it." Then she thought back to what Ulrich had actually done. He had kept her distracted while being on his way to her apartment. He had asked her neighbours for help, which is why she couldn't hear anything for a moment. And now he was here, by her side, keeping her company until the superintendent would show.

"How did you convince my neighbours to let you act this crazy?" Yumi asked.

Ulrich directed his attention to the balcony doors. "I told them you were so important to me that I had to see if you were okay immediately." He cleared his throat. Yumi fell silent.

"So, how long do you have to wait?" Ulrich changed the topic. She looked at the time on her phone. "Another thirty minutes?" Yumi estimated.

"That long huh," he awkwardly told her. "Yeah," she trailed off.

"Are you cold?" Ulrich kept the conversation going. "A little less cold than before, so I'm okay," she answered.

Silence again.

"Yumi?" Ulrich whispered. "Yes?" She waited for him to continue. "I'm serious," he looked at her, "I need you," he was still whispering. "Don't forget that please."

"I won't," she replied, scooting a little closer to him. It was rare for Ulrich to openly speak about his feelings.

He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, making their heads touch. "Thank you," he whispered and kissed her forehead. Yumi tensed up. He caressed her face, sliding his hand into place behind her ear. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, gently a little to the left and back to the right. Yumi was nervous, excited and afraid at the same time. She was frozen.

Then Ulrich pulled back his hand. Yumi studied his face only to see that it had returned to his usual stoic expression.

"Can I tell you something?" Yumi asked, after contemplating for a moment.

"Anything. Go ahead," Ulrich said.

"When we met again before Christmas, I didn't know how to act around you. That was partially because of our past. I thought for sure you must have had a grudge against me because of what I did, mainly to you. But you never treated me with disdain. Nothing to show that you didn't want me there. After talking with the others, I started to understand that there never were any feelings of hate or anger. I wanted to apologize for hurting you like that. But there wasn't really a proper timing," Yumi breathed in and out before continuing.

"I thought we would have trouble to get along again, because of our – now even more – complicated feelings. However, I wasn't expecting this at all. The comfort I felt when I was with you just returned in the span of only a few weeks. I was thinking to myself that our bond must have been so strong that it didn't matter what had happened. I realized that after the night Aelita stayed at my place," she paused to look at him. Ulrich was staring at his feet, but his face showed he was listening to every word.

"In this small period of time I've come to learn about so many of your new sides. Because, on the one hand you've changed. You're more mature and outspoken now and surprisingly more straightforward. In the past you used to do things in a roundabout way, but now you're crystal clear and direct. I started thinking about you almost every day. Like, maybe your father shaped you that way? However, the Ulrich I know would not let his father interfere with his personal life. You really no longer seem lost, like you sometimes seemed to be back in Kadic. Not at all," Yumi paused again.

"On the other hand, I was also happy to find out that you're still the same. The cool and collected Ulrich, as well as the sulky and slightly annoying one," she heard him snort, "I understood you would always be yourself and I came to accept the changes. Truthfully, I'm now completely used to you again. But I'm beginning to think that I don't deserve this after all. I'm really sorry about everything, leaving you – and the others -, breaking off contact and hurting you. Yumi was now crying and she felt Ulrich pull her closer.

"You don't have to be so hard on yourself. It's okay really. Yes, I was sad and temporarily devastated about what had taken place. I couldn't believe it. Moving on was hard too. The others, especially Odd, really helped me get through it all. You can never guess how many study sessions I've had with Jeremie and Aelita, to prevent me from having to repeat our senior year of high school," Ulrich started his own story.

"There is one person I felt ultimate hatred towards. You probably already know who that is. After _that_ moment where you made your decision, he came to find me and told me in my face. _I told you she wasn't going to wait forever. It's my win._ I was seriously pissed. It was typically him, but I couldn't deal with it. Without you as sparring partner, a sturdy punching bag became my partner. I used it until it was on the brink of falling apart," Ulrich's grip on Yumi tightened, but she let it go.

"I vented all my anger every day after school. Until I came to the realization it wasn't going to do me any good. Then I blamed myself for not approaching you, for not talking about my true feelings. Odd was surprisingly sympathetic, but it was what I needed to get through each night. Aelita practically drowned me in encouraging words and Jeremie made sure to distract me with his strict teachings. He also offered to go running with me every morning, but I always ended up running too fast," he laughed emptily and took a deep breath before going on.

"I couldn't hold a grudge against you. I've been frustrated, broken and bitter. And before my turmoil I blamed you for a while. But it didn't last long. Having you in my life sure has caused a lot of ups and downs, hasn't it?" He smiled a little.

"Graduation was a turning point in my life. The workload my father gave me did change me to some extent. I became more responsible. Next to that, I had a lot of time to think things through. Maybe both of us weren't meant to be together. I couldn't let go of my feelings though. The littles daily activities triggered memories of you. I lived the years like that, always wondering if you were going through the same agony as me. As I told you before I worked pretty hard to get where I am now, always carrying the hope to see you again. If I would – and I did – I wanted to face you directly and show you I made it."

"Yumi, let's keep going strong," Ulrich told her, holding her face like he did earlier.

She looked at him. He really was a much stronger person now. Yumi appreciated that he let her know about his rough time. She still felt sad that he had to go through that, mainly because of her. But she wasn't going to make light of his efforts. Mutual acceptance would improve their bond. So Yumi firmly nodded her head, feeling Ulrich's hand follow the movement. She savoured the moment and the tingling feelings that spread through her body. "I'll be in your care," Yumi said. Ulrich genuinely smiled. "Likewise," he replied.

As he retracted his hand once more, they continued their wait to return to the warmth they knew so well.

* * *

**A/N: A review for your thoughts on this chapter, please :)? Thanks for reading.**


	22. Chapter 20,5: William Dunbar Wakes Up?

**A/N: Hello! Back to weekend updates! This is a bonus chapter. I thought it was a nice moment. And it's fun to do them once every ten chapters. So 20.5 it is! The theme this time is a peek in the life of William Dunbar! Enjoy! Thanks for the continuous support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Another boring day awaited the ex-XANAfied Lyoko Warrior. He was currently studying to become a police officer. William (and Yumi) thought it was ironical, yet fitting. He was well aware that his conscience played a big role in choosing what profession he eventually wanted to practice. The courses hadn't been too difficult, once he had set his mind to it.

Classes always began with a physical workout, to stay in shape. Personal records were being kept and maintained. Despite it being the easiest part of the day, William found it quite unstimulating. There were really no rivals. He was clearly the best. Theory exams didn't faze him as long as he studied – not that it hadn't taken him a while to get used to it. Yumi had supported him and told him there was only one way to go about it. "You just sit down and start," she had said.

On top of that, practical classes weren't starting until next month due to a change in schedule. An example of such class would be simulating everyday situations a police officer could find him- or herself in. He had been looking forward to the upcoming variation, but was disappointed when he had heard the news.

William was even more demotivated today, because he hadn't seen or heard from Yumi since their last talk approximately two weeks ago. "_Is she still worrying_?" He frowned. "_What if she's still mad?_" He was deep in thought and failed to pay proper attention when attendance was being taken. "DUNBAR?!"

He refocused and quickly called a "present" before getting lost in his maze of thoughts again. William was wary of Yumi's strange behaviour. Even though he hated it, he understood why Yumi was happy when her friends reunited with her by pure coincidence. Seeing Yumi content like that was fine, but hindrances in their relationship were not welcomed. Especially not a certain brunet.

It was rather hard to comprehend it all. Why was she not being indifferent towards Ulrich? The younger male had not exactly shown much initiative when it came to approaching the beautiful Japanese woman.

However, he hadn't been the friendliest or nicest boyfriend lately, which had been eating away at him. In return, he felt that Yumi wasn't concerned about him at all anymore. He wondered if she would even remember his birthday that was coming up at the end of January. Yumi had always made time for him on his birthday, so he was expecting this year to be no different.

Expectations?

When William had asked Yumi to be his girlfriend, he hadn't had any expectations. He only wanted to be there for Yumi and spent time together, living and laughing. Where had those feelings gone? Had his frustration gotten the better of him? "_Did I come across a dead end?"_

Yes, he was really worried. After the brief moments with Ulrich, he had (reluctantly) admitted to himself that Ulrich was in fact a changed man now. Sometimes he seemed so calm that William couldn't figure out whether or not his presence was having an effect on him like before. But the most worrisome aspect was how direct Ulrich had become. William wasn't stupid. He had noticed Ulrich watching over Yumi. Luckily for him, Ulrich was holding back. But he was sure that Yumi's boss was now able to make his moves whenever he deemed it appropriate. It was something that was constantly on William's mind. It was gut wrenching for him. Even more so, because he was afraid Yumi was starting to fall in love with Ulrich. Adding one plus one, the answer is known to everyone.

And William was desperate to avoid losing Yumi. Watching them together at the Christmas concert had gotten him raging. When they were taking their sweet time walking to the car park, he had raced back home on his bike. He remembered he got Theo to help him that day. They had met up at the convenience store not far from where Yumi lived. William had requested Theo to give Yumi the present after ten minutes. Theo happened to have no Christmas date, having been dumped the day before.

His friend had told him that he owed him at least a few meals for this favour, but he hadn't cared. So what? His mood had been in a danger zone. Theo had complied and made up excuses when he talked to Yumi. In truth, after splitting from the young woman, he ran back to William's place aware of what he was planning to do.

Drinking himself to that state had been the worst decision of the day – at least, in his eyes. The hangover he had ended up with had been so bad. The only reason he had gone out that day was to get answers from Yumi.

William recalled the other times he and Yumi had some fiery discussions. He had realized it was mostly because of his never ending jealousy. When he was waiting for her to get home two weeks ago. Yumi had the brightest smile on her face when she was walking in between Odd and Ulrich. The latter seemed to be the main reason. But he wondered if that was something only he could see. He had bitterly laughed to himself. Ulrich and him. Were the roles really reversed?

If he wanted to prevent a break up the only option William had, was becoming someone who Yumi didn't want to let go. "So basically, I have to get my act together huh?" He told himself aloud.

"That's right, Dunbar. Now that you're finally ready to start, you can add five extra laps to your running around the field," the instructor told him. William groaned when he saw the other students running diligently. "After you're done for the day, you stop by my office. I'll give you some extra work that will make sure you get it together. NOW GO!"

William made sure to waste no more time and took off.

After the last class finished early (around 04:00 PM), he went to the instructor's office. He saw the notification from Yumi's phone, but opted to call her back later. He had already decided he would stop by Yumi's place in the evening and surprise her, so it could wait. He entered the office and was greeted by his instructor.

"Well, Dunbar. If it weren't for your excellent performances during _most_ of my classes, I would've given you more work. I'll let you get away with an easy task. Give me 100 push ups and you're free," William smirked when he heard this.

"That's all? No problem then," William accepted as he dropped his stuff on the floor near the wall. He got into proper form and was about to start when the instructor spoke again.

"Within five minutes. Don't lose form, no breaks."

William stared at the man in front of him. "That's…"

"You're not going home, until you succeed. But you consider yourself my top student right? So it shouldn't be a problem."

"Right..," William replied, confidence ripped in half. He knew how hard that challenge was. In fact, he had never succeeded before. It wasn't something that was required of students, but he had tried to be prepared for it anyway. He took a deep breath before starting to do precise push ups, keeping the tempo high. However, his results were in line with his thoughts. He had already failed four times in a row.

"You failed," was the remark that broke William's concentration after his fourth try. "Cool down 30 seconds, again."

William got to his feet and slowly moved his limbs around. "_Great, that's what a guy needs after class. A severe demon punishment_," he glared at the man who was idly scrolling through memes on the internet.

He checked his phone. Both eyebrows rose in surprise as he read Yumi's messages. "Uhm, sir, can I go now? I'll come early on Monday to finish this," William asked.

"I believe I told you, you're only to go home when you've completed what I've told you to do."

"But it doesn't have to be now right? My girlfriend's in trouble. I have to help her out," William reasoned.

"I'm sure she's mature enough to handle whatever situation she is in."

"Look, I just want to go now. It's impossible to finish 100 push ups in a row in five minutes anyway. You of all people must be aware of this fact," William accused, ignoring the previous statement.

His instructor wasn't pleased with William's behaviour or reaction. "Dunbar. I never said you had to perform them in a row. Reps of, for instance, 25 would have sufficed with the high tempo you are able to manage. Five minutes take longer than you think. If you would have used them wisely, you would have succeeded. That aside, your tempo decreased as time passed by, because you started off too fast. It's not an impossible task when you set the right tempo for it."

That answer stupefied William.

"Now Dunbar, I hope you will think twice before you dawdle again during my class. You might want to work on the paying attention part. You could have been home now." The man had a mocking grin on his face.

William decided not to take the bait and withheld his sarcastic response. "Well, thank you for the lesson, sir. I'll keep it in mind," he robotically replied.

"It was my pleasure, Dunbar."

For obvious reasons, William took that sentence literally. "_I'm sure it was,_" he thought as he picked up his things and left without saying another word.

"See you on Monday," he heard when he opened the door. William lifted his hand and saluted him without looking back.

All he was thinking about was whether or not Yumi was okay. He tried calling her, but the line was busy. William dashed towards his bike and drove towards his girlfriend's place as fast as he could.

He would save her and show her how much he cared for her. Today, he would take the first step to rebuilding their relationship.

* * *

**A/N: Next time, the main story goes on :D! Thanks for reading!**


	23. Chapter 21: The Race is Over

**A/N: On with the main story then! So much time has passed since I published the first chapter. Time flies~! Enjoy reading this one too. It's a longer chapter :).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Two knocks on the window startled Yumi and Ulrich into realizing their close proximity. "Your real saviour has arrived," Ulrich stated, referring to the superintendent who had moved to open the balcony doors. "Can you stand?" Ulrich asked her. He watched her try to get up – not that being wrapped up in a blanket was helpful. "Here," he extended his hand, which she took graciously. "Thanks," Yumi said when she was successfully standing on both feet.

"I'm really sorry that it took so long. My boss was really insistent, so I had to leave. I wish it would have at least taken me less time to get here," the super told them. "It's okay, I had help after all," Yumi looked at Ulrich, "so thank you for coming. I'm just glad I'm inside again."

The superintendent was happy to be of help, but kindly advised her to stay inside due to the cold weather. After that, he left.

Yumi and Ulrich were alone once again.

"So, shall I return the blanket to your neighbours?" Ulrich asked. Yumi shook her head. "No, it's fine, I'll wash it first and I'll return it later. I've used it outside. It's the least I can do. Really, thank _you_ too, for all you've done. Maybe I'll bake a nice cake for my neighbours to thank them as well. They must have been shocked when you said you wanted to jump." Yumi snickered. "It's a good thing I know you so well. Makes explaining things easier."

"Well sorry for acting on the spur of the moment, but I was simply worried," Ulrich stated. "Simply?" Yumi quirked a brow. "Okay, so maybe just a little more than that?" He awkwardly avoided eye contact. She laughed. "Thanks though." Ulrich smiled at her. "Anytime, remember?"

They silently stared at each other.

Ulrich was the first to start talking again. "Your foot? How does it feel?" Yumi tried to move her foot in circles, but it was still painful. "Well, moving it hurts. I didn't put too much pressure on it while shuffling my way inside," she answered. "Do you have any ice gel? An ice pack or cold compress will also do. It's the best emergency treatment I can give. It would be good if you can walk again properly after a few hours. Otherwise, wait a few days to see if it still hurts. Afterwards, go to the doctor. It's best not to overlook any possible damages you might have ended up with," Ulrich explained in one go.

She didn't know what response to give him for a moment. "Uhm, I don't think I've broken it, if that's what you mean. And I have some ice gel which is said to be good for recovery? I haven't used it before, but my mother told me it could relieve my pain in certain situations," Yumi said as she slowly limped her way over to her bathroom.

"That'll do," Ulrich assured her. Yumi returned to the living room and handed him the tube. "Okay, sit down," he had taken to a serious tone. She was curious about the reason for his sudden change in behaviour, but complied nevertheless and seated herself on the sofa. "May I apply this to your foot?" He asked. She noticed he was slightly embarrassed and chuckled. "Well, since you seem to know what to do, I'll leave my foot to you," she paused. "I am aware you don't like talking about it and I hope you don't mind me asking. Is this because of what happened to your leg during that soccer match? I mean, you're being extra careful about this."

He nodded. "It really left a nasty scar on my past," Ulrich revealed. He gently lifted her leg onto the sofa and put her foot on his thigh. "I'm going to test a few places by pressing my thumb against it. Sorry if it hurts. Don't punch or kick me please," he grinned. "I'll.. try?" Yumi was anxiously watching him. "Okay, number one," he announced. Yumi shook her head. "Here?" He asked. She shook her head again. "What about this one?" Ulrich had straightened her foot against his palm and added pressure to the outer side of her ankle. She hissed. "Bingo then," he said to himself. Yumi just glared at him, despite knowing he was trying to help her.

Ulrich began to apply the cold gel on her ankle and foot. His hands were softly massaging the blueish gel on her equally soft skin. Yumi concentrated on watching his hands as much as possible. She had a feeling she would end up blushing madly if she would look at Ulrich instead. "It's done. You should put on some socks to help steady your foot," he told her. "Thanks for the attentive care." Yumi let out a sigh of relieve. She had to admit that the treatment made it feel a little better. "Sorry for insisting. I couldn't let it go after all," he said. "It's okay. I'm sure it will be fine," Yumi told him. "Right," Ulrich stated.

"Can I wash my hands in the kitchen?" He asked. Yumi nodded. "Go ahead. I'll get myself a pair of socks then." Yumi shuffled towards her room, where she took out a pair of thick navy coloured socks of her drawer. She was putting them on, when she heard the doorbell ringing. "_Maybe the super forgot something?_" She figured her current condition wouldn't be able to get her to the door quickly enough.

"Ulrich," she called out, "can you please open the front door? Maybe he forgot something!"

"Sure," came the reply from the living room.

Neither of them had really considered the possibility of another visitor on the other side of the door. Hence, Ulrich had no clue how to react when he was greeted by William's scowling face. "And what are you doing here?" Of course, a 'hello' or 'hi' would have been above expectations. "Helping Yumi," Ulrich replied factually. After hearing that, William passed Ulrich as he entered Yumi's apartment.

The Japanese woman had just returned to the living room. She had overheard his voice. "Hey William," she casually greeted him. With her currently composed attitude she wanted to prevent the likely to be incoming argument – although that chance was certainly small. "Are you okay?" He asked her. "I have been better, but yeah, I'm fine," she told him. "Well, that's good. Sorry I couldn't be here earlier. I had, uhm, some extra work," he explained, purposefully not referring to his extra time using a term like 'detention'. "Oh, that's too bad. Can't do anything about that huh, it's a tough job after all. And, no worries, I got help," Yumi assured him, but inwardly cursed herself for her choice of words. "_Immediately after I made up my mind not to stir awake sleeping demons,_" she thought, resisting the urge to facepalm herself.

"So I've been told," William glanced back at Ulrich who awkwardly stood a good distance away. "You know, it's kind of baffling how you even manage to be _here_ frequently," he turned to Yumi, "Do I have to assume that there was no one else available to get you out of there?" William crossed his arms. Yumi was about to respond when Ulrich cut in.

"Hey, can you calm down? Do you always blame her like this? You don't even know the circumstances. I came here of my own accord to support her. She had to wait pretty long in such cold weather before the super opened the door. You have seriously twisted priorities," Ulrich voiced his disapproval.

"I believe we speak the same language, right? So, how come you didn't understand a single thing I said? Stay away from Yumi," William warned him.

"Why? We're friends. Can't you handle that?" Ulrich remarked.

"That's pretty hypocritical coming from you. Isn't that precisely what you should have done in the past? Dealing with it," William shot back.

"That.. That's a different matter altogether. And _why are you _clinging to the past this much? You should take care of Yumi, shouldn't you?" Ulrich argued.

"Exactly, _I_ am the one who should be with her, but your interfering has made that impossible for the last few weeks. _I_ am the one who is trying to put aside the past the most out of all of us. Don't act like you want to compete over Yumi, to show her that you've supposedly changed for the better. You lost your chances. Stop butting in," William was on the verge of fuming with anger. But he was confused when Ulrich let out a sigh and pulled back.

"Who says I'm trying to win Yumi over? She's not a trophy nor is she a prize. I didn't consider myself a contender in the race that you mentioned before. There were many issues, which were frankly speaking none of your business. That's between Yumi and me. You were just trying to up your ego, wanting to be the best. That's how XANA got you. I believe you're under some kind of illusion that you have to absolutely rule out my existence from Yumi's life. But I wonder, are you really worth it? Such a tall order. William, I have limits too. Don't cross the line. Actually, let me put it this way. In a race, the one who gets off to a false start will be disqualified. Remember that," Ulrich's speech left him with the final say. William didn't retort and Yumi couldn't find any words that would be a good follow up in the conversation.

"Yumi, I'm sorry. I'm going home now. Take good care of yourself. If you need advice about your foot, call me," Ulrich patted her head and abruptly went to the hallway. "Wai-," Yumi called out to him, but William grasped her wrist to make her stop. "What are you doing? Let go. No, better yet, go apologize. He only stayed here to help me out. Ulrich didn't do anything wrong," Yumi cried out.

"You're right," William said. "He didn't. You did. You're leading him on. Stop being so close to him." Yumi looked at him. "Do you understand what you're implying? You're basically telling me that I'm cheating on you!" She heard some shuffling in the hallway and figured Ulrich was still putting on his shoes. Yumi lowered her voice. "I thought you were going to show me your effort of trying to make friends with everyone."

William and Yumi heard the front door being opened and shut again. "Okay, now that the nuisance has left, I have a question for you Yumi. But before I ask, I want to say a few things. I have already told you, I'd rather not have all the sudden social interferences of your friends. I thought we were perfectly fine with just the two of us. However, you have completely fallen back. Thus recently, I have been reasoning and came to the conclusion that I must have done something wrong for you to be behaving like this towards me now," he stopped Yumi from saying anything when she wanted to.

"I apologize for trying to take you away from your friends. It disturbed me that you weren't smiling around me as much as you used to. I perceived the difference in your genuine feelings to be so great, that my jealousy only increased. To be honest, it's been so frustrating and I have been struggling for a long time Yumi. What method haven't I tried to make you fall for me? Eventually even comparing myself to Ulrich. But all that did, was hurting you. When I see you together now, I realized it. You were hurt, not because what I did worked against trying to forget him. You were hurt, because it reminded you of _who_ you let go," William took hold of her hands.

"Yumi, I _know_ my feelings for you are probably twice as much as what you might feel for me. I don't want to give up on us," he sounded anguished, but held on. "Yumi, I want to formally introduce you to my parents. Will you go with me?"

"Uhm," Yumi was so overwhelmed by that request that she couldn't formulate a normal answer. "I don't know. It's kind of out of the blue, William," she carefully told him as she gently pushed away his hands. "I'm happy that you're reconsidering and that you've accepted that my friends are in my life again. _Well that goes for most of them_, she said, while thinking the last part as she glanced in the direction of the hallway. "However, we both made mistakes and I believe we should work those out first. That is a more logical course of action now, since there are so many misunderstandings between everyone," she convincingly conveyed her opinion.

"Yes, I get that. That's why I want to bring you to my hometown. Giving you another insight might assist you and me to work out our disagreements. Please, give it some thought," he requested. William's face was hopeful. Yumi found it hard to refuse, but she still did. "I'm sorry William. Visiting your parents would be lovely if _we_ were fine. However, we're not fine and I want us to solve all our troubles first. There was a reason that we've never visited your parents before. You even said it would be a hassle. Why are you so set on going now?"

"Because, I want to move on Yumi," William said. "Of course, when we started going out, my mindset was different. I simply changed my mind. That happens to anyone for all I know," he argued.

"Well -," Yumi was cut off by a groan. "Huh?"

The sound came from the hallway. William and Yumi looked at each other with confused expressions. They slowly made their way over to the hallway. They then spotted Ulrich lying on the floor. "Ulrich!" Yumi exclaimed, shocked in more than one way. "What happened? Are you okay? William, call an ambulance," she frantically told him. She shuffled over to Ulrich and crouched down without pressuring her injured foot. William didn't move. He just stared at Yumi, whose concern for his enemy was clear as day. "Ulrich, can you hear me?" Yumi asked. She noticed he was clutching his left leg. "Is it your leg? Does it hurt?"

Ulrich groaned again. "William, the ambulance?" Yumi asked him again. "What are you waiting for?" William unfroze. "Oh, yeah, hang on," he said, fumbling in his pocket to get his phone out. "I.. don't… need it," they heard Ulrich say with difficulty. "But your leg. We should take you to the hospital then," Yumi suggested. Ulrich grabbed Yumi's hand. "I'm fine," he whispered. "You don't look like you are," William curtly pointed out.

Yumi glared at her boyfriend. "Seriously?" She asked, then refocused on the man lying on the floor. "Ulrich, are you absolutely sure?" She watched him slowly sitting up after letting go of her hand. "Yes," he breathed out. "But this hasn't happened in a long time. Ugh, worst timing ever," he grumbled. Ulrich noticed their questioning expressions. In Yumi's case, it was mixed with a dose of concern. "Don't worry," he told her, "It's a consequence of the way my leg healed – actually how it didn't heal properly. I have been having severe pain attacks over the past few years. Both the duration and level of pain vary each time. Seldomly it would get close to me fainting because of such an attack. Those were mostly after I had used my leg too intensively for a long time or after a sudden movement that began or ended badly," Ulrich explained.

He saw Yumi gasp. "Is it because of the jump?" She asked him. "Probably," he grinned. "That's not funny! It's my fault. I'm so sorry," she apologized. "Don't be. It was my decision. I overestimated myself," he scratched his head. "And then you tried to get out of here before we'd notice, but you were too late," William added. "Wait, have you been having that attack since the landing?!" Yumi put her hands on his shoulders. "It kicked in a little after that," Ulrich admitted. "Why didn't you tell me?" She sounded disappointed. "Sorry. Really though, usually it doesn't last this long. I've been dealing with this for quite a while after all," he patted her head again and quickly retracted his hand upon realizing William was still there. "I powered through. No worries, okay?" He assured her.

William was annoyed by his ignorance of what had occurred. He hated that he couldn't understand what they were talking about. Then he stilled. "_Powered through?_" William thought. "_Meaning, he could have heard everything._"

"How much -," William couldn't finish his question, because Yumi spoke up at the same time. "Can you stand?" She asked Ulrich, who laughed. "The irony," he said. Yumi giggled. "I guess so," she said. "Just give me a few more minutes. It should be over soon," Ulrich said. "Okay." Yumi got up.

"We'll continue our talk later," she told William. "Don't think we have another choice," William remarked.

They patiently waited until Ulrich felt like the pain had subsided enough. In the meantime William got a phone call from his instructor. It resulted in William reluctantly leaving Ulrich and Yumi alone, because he had apparently forgotten his extra homework. Although he was certain that the instructor had put it together after he'd left, he couldn't go against orders. Not when he himself was the cause of the current problems. He greeted Yumi and briefly gave Ulrich one of the best glares in his life before exiting the apartment.

"Yumi, I don't want to meddle in your… relationship. There is just one thing I want to ask you. Are you really happy with him?" Ulrich asked softly.

She looked downcast. "I.. I…"

"You don't need to answer that immediately. Just know, that you have people to talk to. I promise we won't push you away. If you want any of us to listen, we will," Ulrich offered.

That last sentence reminded Yumi about telling Ulrich everything. But today made her comprehend. She couldn't possibly empty her propped up thoughts and feelings without having them organized completely. That was what she had been up to originally. It was important to state the right things. To explain them in detail. Otherwise, Ulrich might get the wrong idea. She had been so caught up in wanting to tell him quickly – as urged on by Aelita – that she almost overlooked the probability of it taking a wrong turn. Yumi was a little thankful William interrupted her flow. She might have blurted out more than she wanted Ulrich to know now. No one could have predicted how that conversation would have played out.

"Thanks," she told him, "I know and I will when I need it. I promise."

"Good," he told her. "I think it's a little early to tell you 'good night', but I hope you rest well this weekend."

"You too, be careful with your leg," Yumi told him.

Ulrich nodded. "See you later then. I'll let myself out," he smiled and went on his way.

With both males gone, Yumi had finally gotten to actually processing William's earlier speech. She understood more about him now. His story had clarified most of the strange actions he had undertaken. This in turn made Yumi recount all the times William had approached her. And what had she been doing? As far as she could remember, she went along with him sometimes. But that was in the beginning. After that, she had never answered his feelings. "_He is right. I have been leading someone on. But it isn't Ulrich. For two and a half years it has been William_."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think :)! Oh, I know that a false start does not necessarily lead to immediate disqualification in sports, but it does occur! Maybe William should have gone for an easier profession? :').. Oh well, see you next time~!**


	24. Chapter 22: Separation

**A/N: Hi.. hello. I'm still here, yes. Had one day of severe lack of sleep and a laptop that decided to randomly throw in an update without saving my content :/.. Don't know how. So, let's just say that last week was my break. Sorry for the long wait. Enjoy the read.**

**Disclaimer: I do no own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Two weeks had gone by since Yumi and William had last spoken. Neither had initiated a call or visit to talk things over again. Currently, Yumi was in the bus on her way back from her parents' home. She hadn't really felt the excitement she usually felt when returning home. Nevertheless, she was well rested. Her foot had healed up just fine and sleeping in her old room had a certain soothing effect.

Like promised, Ulrich came over a few hours on Saturday. He had discussed his visit with Yumi in advance, to finalize their plan. Yumi was glad he showed up and was happy for Hiroki. Her younger brother had been positively surprised when Ulrich stopped by. Although the two males had no time to have a private conversation – due to all the food Yumi's mother made – Ulrich had given Hiroki his phone number. "If you ever want to talk to me, just call." Those words had put a huge grin on Hiroki's face.

Yumi smiled while recalling the fresh memories. Her stop was announced and she pressed the button to make the chauffeur stop. She happily waved goodbye as she got off and walked the rest of the way to her apartment.

Once home, she got to washing her clothes and doing some other household chores. As she finished up, the rumbling of her stomach told her dinner time was near. Yumi was in the process of deciding what to make for dinner, when her phone rang. "Jeremie?" She mumbled to herself.

"Hi Jeremie, what's up?"

"Hey Yumi. I wanted to ask whether you're available next Saturday to test the game with Ulrich and Odd. Both of them have already confirmed their presence. Aelita and I were hoping to schedule everyone in during one of the weekdays, but that proved too difficult. The best option is next weekend or two after that. However, the sooner the better right? So are you up for it?"

"Uhm, let me check," Yumi told him as she walked to her flip-over calendar on her desk. She noticed William's birthday being marked on Monday 31 January. Then she continued on to February, letting her finger slide over the paper. "I should be fine on that day. Don't have any plans," Yumi affirmed.

"Great, that's noted then," Jeremie said.

"I look forward to it," she said and pondered a few seconds, "Aelita.. is she there with you at the moment?"

"Hmm, oh, yeah she is. We're working on the set-up of a new project. We want the start to be due spring. Timely planning will get us ahead of the competition after all. Anyway, want to talk to her? I can put her on."

"If you would." Yumi sat down on her chair and propped her elbows up on the desk.

"Hi Yumi! How are you?" Aelita asked.

"Let's just say I'm coping. How about you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. What do you mean, you're coping?" Aelita's concerned voice made Jeremie wonder what was wrong. But he figured that the ladies should have their talk.

Yumi filled Aelita in on all the details she had missed so far, including the most recent fight. "And that's all that's happened," she finished speaking. Before Aelita could react, the Japanese woman continued. "I'm not telling you this to reprimand you about supposedly giving out wrong advice. Because I needed it at the time and it was a good idea. It's just that I almost didn't think twice about what it all really meant," she told her friend.

"I'm sorry, Yumi. I never intended for it to sound like you had to make great haste with it. I'm glad you figured out what you eventually wanted to say at those points you did," Aelita kindly replied.

"It was refreshing. Finally the load lessened a bit." Yumi was pacing to and fro in the kitchen. "There is actually something else I called for," she announced. When Aelita said she was all ears, she continued.

"These few months have been really straining my relationship with William. With each day I'm feeling more and more obligated to keep dating him instead of having those natural feelings that carry you through. I wish I could tell myself that it's not because of Ulrich's sudden return in my life, but I can't deny that it is a very influencing factor. And I know that if I would mention this to William that he would counter with saying that it is the truth. However, I also understand that I have been dishonest toward him a majority – if not all – of the time. But what if I were to end it all. Wouldn't it seem like I'm throwing him aside like a piece of trash? It's just, I'm tired of being accused time and time again," Yumi spilled her thoughts. She leaned against the refrigerator and let out a sigh.

"Are you afraid of what might happen when you talk to William about this? He cannot force you to stay with him, Yumi. More importantly, you shouldn't let feelings like obligation or duty hold you back. It's not healthy, for both of you. You are poisoning yourself, while William is drowning himself. It's really heartbreaking. And you don't really think like that do you? I'm referring to William being thrown away. In your own way, you did – or still do – value him in your life to a certain extent. I'm sure you will be able to bring across the right message, because of how much you value relationships between people in general. You're not a cruel person, Yumi. In my eyes you are endearing and sophisticated, with just the right amount of spunk," Aelita encouraged her friend. "_There is only one person who can bring out your characteristics to the fullest. And we all know who it is. But that's not something I can or will interfere with."_

"Thanks, Aelita. I might be overthinking it all. The best way to go about it is to be dead honest. I'm feeling a little better now. Really, thanks. I'll see you next week then," Yumi said.

"Yes, see you on Saturday. Bye," Aelita said.

After the phone call, Yumi made spaghetti for dinner. When it was time to go to bed, she spent the time mentally preparing for yet another work week until she fell asleep.

In the early morning, she sent William a simple message to congratulate him.

**Happy Birthday William. What are your plans for today?**

She started her morning routine while waiting for a reply. William was usually quick to reply. Besides, he had a compulsory practical class on Monday mornings. So she figured it wouldn't take too long for him to answer.

However, when it was time to leave, there was still no message. "Guess he's busy," she told herself as she shrugged. Yumi left for work, thinking nothing more of it.

* * *

"Good morning," she greeted Ulrich when entering the office. "Good morning," he greeted back. "Have you finished the report from last week?" Ulrich asked her. "We'll need it as reference for tomorrow's meeting."

Yumi paled. She had never been late concerning deadlines, whether they were for school assignments or work. Her mind had been so occupied that it had completely slipped her mind to finish the report. "No.. I.. Sorry, I'm going to work on it now. It's only a rough draft. I still have to edit it into a proper report," she softly stammered.

"That's rare," Ulrich told her. "You always put together your documents well before any meeting. What happened?" He asked her while tapping himself a cup of water. "Are you mad?" She asked. "Well, I'm not happy that you didn't meet the team's expectations. But I know you. So I'll let it slide. I'm not mad. Just sounding a little cranky because of lack of sleep. Want to tell me? What's wrong?" Ulrich offered her a cup of water as well.

"Thanks," she accepted the cup and sipped a little water, "Something has been bugging me for some time. I don't have any doubts anymore though, so I'm fine. Although I have been dwelling too much on the matter and now that I realize what I have to do, it's nerve-wrecking and nauseating. I'm have been trying to calm myself. I keep telling myself the order of the steps I'll take. However, it seems it's a huge wall that takes more than a little courage to climb over," Yumi vaguely explained her worries to Ulrich.

He had a confused look on his face. He had no real clue as to what she was talking about. Ulrich narrowed down the possible options. It was likely that it either had to do something with her family or William. He left their friends out because Yumi would have directly mentioned any problems she might have had with any of them.

"It's fine, I'll get over it. Don't worry about the work. It'll be ready before 'tea time'," she flashed him a smile and went to her desk. "Sure, I'll go over it once you're done then," he said. "Oh and I'll be out between one and three in the afternoon. Meeting with the clients of this project," Ulrich told her. Yumi had already started work and didn't look up from her notebook. She kept writing while she gave her reply. "Okay, noted. I'll inform the rest," she assured him. "Great, thanks." Ulrich closed the door to his office and walked over to his desk.

"_She's acting too weird. Definitely William_," Ulrich thought to himself. He sighed. Yumi had avoided a follow-up conversation. That combined with her too vague explanation about her troubles must have meant that William was the source of her current distress. He recalled the moments Yumi was sad because of fights her parents had been having. If he thought about it, William was actually the only logical option left. As much as he wanted to, he had no right to get between the two of them. That is, _if_ William wouldn't cross the wrong lines.

Meanwhile, Yumi was stressing out once again. "_I should have shut my mouth._" Ulrich would be able to deduce at least the person involved. She ruffled her hair and shook her head hard. "Ugh, let's just work and hope it'll distract me." At that moment, the notification sound of a new message rang throughout the office. Her silent agony came to a halt and she quietly entered her password to unlock her phone.

When she clicked on the message, she saw William had given a reply to her earlier message.

**Thanks.**

Yumi stared at the one word. Was he serious?

**Can we meet today? **She asked.

**I have extended training today. **William answered.

Yumi frowned. **That's too bad. How about tomorrow then?**

**That's fine. I'll come visit you then. After work? **He suggested.

**Okay, see you then. **Yumi messaged back.

The conversation ended there. Yumi thought it was awkward and abrupt. No more usual playful atmosphere could be read from their messages. Why was William trying so hard to convince her and himself? All because of the depth of his feelings? However, even as friends, they were falling apart. So why on Earth were they keeping this up? Who would commit to such a relationship where it all looks to be crumbling down?

The answer was simple.

_She wouldn't._

* * *

**A/N: See you next time :)! Oh, tea time is just around 10:00-10:30. I think everyone gets the general idea though. Thanks for reading!**


	25. Chapter 23: Two Minus Two

**A/N: A little late, but I'm here. Kind of set a new record for staying up late... thanks to my laptop who just happens to love me very much... You know, delaying updates eventually leads to random updating. It hit me hard, my document wasn't saved and there was no automatic back up of my latest edits. But, enough background stories. Enjoy the read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

At work everyone seemed to have entered a stable routine. Despite it being Tuesday, Odd was present due to a switch in his schedule for this week. With Odd on the team, a certain reassurance had been found. The project was finally running along smoothly. Odd's ability to fit in naturally came in handy. They all loosened up a little and marvelled at how such an eccentric person was so talented.

"I'm so glad Odd agreed to work with us," Yumi said suddenly, while watching Odd joke around with Emily. Ulrich shifted his attention from the sheets of paper on the desk to his secretary. He then glanced in the same direction as Yumi. "Yeah, it kind of sucks that he feels the need to rub it in that he saved us. Including today, I've had to treat him to lunch four times already, just to shut him up," he said. "Sounds tough," she sympathized with her boss. "Well, you know how much he eats," Ulrich trailed off and refocused on his work.

"Kelly was overjoyed when Odd told her he'd be working here for the duration of the project," Yumi went on. "They have such a great relationship. I'm happy for Odd." Yumi was slightly envious of how well the two were suited for each other. "That's another subject he can't shut up about," Ulrich said. He sighed as he recalled his conversation with his best friend during lunch a few days ago. "He's constantly telling me how amazing his life is. Sometimes I wish he stops talking for a few minutes. But his goofy smile sets of a type of happiness within yourself, so I let him be," he said. Yumi smiled, then nudged him with her elbow. "Or you're just happy for him too," she remarked. Ulrich grinned. "Yep."

"Hey lov-, guys!" Odd cut himself off, momentarily forgetting that he shouldn't be using that nickname anymore. The short male approached his friends with a jump in his step. "You are rather ecstatic today," Yumi said, not having noticed Odd's near slip up. However Ulrich had and he gave his friend a glare. Odd held up his hands to sign he was sorry and answered Yumi afterwards. "You want to know why?"

"Well?" She urged him on. "No reason!" He started laughing. "Right," Ulrich said. "Awh, come on. Where is your sense of humour?" Odd pouted at his best friend. Yumi snickered. "I don't think any sort of sense can make sense of your sense of humour," she clarified, making it known that she also couldn't see it. Odd was momentarily confused by Yumi's choice of wording. "I was just trying to bring some happiness, since this guy here is looking angrier with every minute that passes by," Odd pointed at Ulrich. The brunet was trying to concentrate on his work. "Hey, I'm going over a report here, so stop bugging me," he warned the shorter male. "Fine, chill. I'm done with work anyway, so I'm going. I have to prepare for tomorrow's presentation at the academy. Yumi, make sure he leaves the office today," Odd said. She laughed. "Bye Odd." He flashed a wide grin, gathered his stuff and left the main team's office for the day.

"What are you checking?" Yumi asked Ulrich after Odd went out. "It's about the changes in the computers' software. It needs an upgrade. Programs have started to show lagging performances for quite some time now, haven't they? This way, we cannot be productive. The first step to being able to work comfortably, is not having to be annoyed by the turtle speed of the computers. The report says they will start by altering the connections to different servers. After that, a meeting with ELITA will take place to talk about enhancements of the systems. Although my presence won't be required there, I would still like to visit them that day. It's on the last day of March," Ulrich explained.

"Is there anything special on that day?" Yumi questioned. "The first anniversary of ELITA's founding," he answered. "Oh! That's pretty awesome! _We_ should get them gifts," she then realized he never mentioned going together. "Or should I stay here to keep an eye on things?"

"I didn't mean it like that. Of course you can come along. But that depends on your schedule right?" He pointed out. "Ah, well, you're right about that," she trailed off. "And it depends on mine too. Let's think about those gifts later. We should get them something special," Ulrich stated. Yumi smiled at him, but it faltered immediately afterwards.

"Actually, if you're okay with it, can I go home too? I have to be somewhere later today. I've finished everything you needed and mailed you all documents. Just in case, I've printed them out. They're on your desk," Yumi told Ulrich. "Okay, thanks. You may go. I'm also going to finish up early today. "Well then, see you tomorrow," Yumi said. "See you tomorrow," Ulrich repeated after her.

He watched her go and got back to reading over the report again. His uncle had invited him to a Japanese restaurant owned by his friend. That dinner was planned for tonight. The reason he wanted to finish work quickly was because his father had been invited as well. Ulrich was fully prepared for any interrogative behaviour his father might display. He was going to prove that he was holding his own.

After he had locked his office, he went home to change into other clothes. As he started the car, he calmed himself for what was likely to come that evening. "Let's hope we'll have peaceful dinner," he wished.

* * *

Yumi was already in her apartment, readying herself to go out. William had apparently made a reservation at the restaurant of his friend's dad to make up for being so cold the day before. Yumi was certain that William would be content after this, thinking that everything will blow over. It was up to her to make him aware of the fact that it wasn't going to happen.

She reached the restaurant five minutes before meeting time. Her attire consisted of a simple mahogany coloured dress matched with black leggings and short black boots. William arrived a few minutes later. They were guided to their table upon entrance after verification of their reservation. "Thank you," she said to the man and bowed her head a little as she took a seat. The two of them ordered food and drinks, while the waiter jotted it all down in his little bloc note. He stopped by another table before leaving to get their orders.

The table they sat at was situated near the windows. Yumi scanned the surroundings. The place was styled to appear like a modern Japanese restaurant, which was nostalgic for Yumi. She was reminded of times she visited similar restaurants with her family. When the waiter returned with their orders, she refocused. They both thanked the waiter and started their dinner. The two of them made some small talk but the tension was clear.

"By the way," she spoke up, "how are you doing with your studies? Has it been getting harder?"

"Yeah, I hardly have time for anything besides classes and cramming at home," there was no certainty in his answer. "Well, don't forget to take a break sometimes," she said, not sure what else she should say. "This serves as the best distraction," he referred to having a date with Yumi. She awkwardly glanced in another direction, before redirecting her attention to her food.

It wasn't long before they had finished and left the restaurant to go on a walk to a nearby park. Within ten minutes they had reached the entrance to the park. "I ordered a present for you online, but there were problems with the delivery, so it probably arrived at your place while we were eating," Yumi said, finding herself a starting point for a follow up conversation. "Oh, thanks," he checked his phone, "Yep, it arrived. My roommate texted me." Yumi smiled a little. "Good, that's good," she said, more to herself than to him. The atmosphere was still tense.

"William, I have to tell you something today," Yumi faced him and looked at him directly. "Which is?" She swallowed once. "I think we should go our separate ways," she told him. "So you are breaking up with me?" He found it incredulous and looked at her sceptically. "Did Ulrich tell you to do this? Or was it one of the others?" Yumi was startled by his direct approach and frowned. That remark had hit the wrong mark. "No, Ulrich doesn't even know anything. _I_ have been struggling to find answers for a long time. And I don't want to leave us hanging in the middle without explanations." William held up his hand. "Before you try to break up with me though, shouldn't you at least give me a chance to better our relationship," he added. Why did he think she was bringing this up? "Could you please listen first?" She requested as she thought about all the different ways she had come up with to tell him everything she wanted to say.

"I don't think it's right for us to go on like this. What we had, is no more. The joking around, the casual talking, the relying on each other. There is no natural presence of those anymore. I can't help but feel like our bond is falling apart. How long have we been forcing ourselves to keep things together? After one year in?" Yumi spoke up, voice slightly wavering. Seemed like this was still hard to do no matter how many times she played possible scenes in her mind.

"But Yumi, if you're having a hard time we can always talk it over, right?" William was in denial.

"How many times were you planning on doing that? There won't be an end to it. We're not on the same page and we have never been," Yumi argued.

"Is it necessary for us to be on the same page then? I've been trying to win you over for years and you're just going to put an end to it like that?" William accused. Yumi was irked, but didn't let it show.

"I think it is necessary. I feel like you don't understand the simplest things about me. It made me wonder if you're trying so hard solely for your own satisfaction. I am grateful for what you've done for me at our start. You really helped me through. But now I'm always doubting your true motives. If you think about it, you've been trying to seclude me from others as much as you could. You were like superglue that wouldn't let me be. If that was supposed to be jealousy, why so extreme? I never wanted to leave the real world. I wanted a fresh start. Things were going great until you suddenly changed," Yumi told him in a calm manner that had a hidden pressure.

"I don't understand you? Are you claiming you know me? You understand me? Because if you did, you'd know that I did all that for you. Wasn't it easier to concentrate without all those distractions? I thought that if you'd make friends again, you would falter and be stuck in a loop of the past. I didn't want that. Let you be? You didn't even look like you could make it on your own," William was uttering nonsense. The only thing he was currently accomplishing was hurting Yumi more.

"See, that's not normal. It doesn't mean you can withhold me from living my life. Was that the reason you visited my workplace so often? To keep an eye on me?" She asked.

"No, I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Look, you're overreacting. I haven't kept you away from anything. Our time was precious to me and I couldn't handle not having you around. Basically, I was worried about you," he told her, "So don't make overhastened decisions. We can work it out." He tried to be hopeful, but Yumi's hardened expression had him convinced it wouldn't end well.

"William, when I left my home I wanted to be able to stand on my own feet. I was happy when you said you'd help me, because the truth remains that it would indeed have been difficult to be by myself all the time. I was glad that at least I was spared from complete loneliness. I know I have been very selfish during our time together and I've come to fully comprehend that now. All I have been doing, is keeping up your hopes of us having a real future. I'm really sorry, but I can't live with that lie," Yumi bravely held her head high. She would not cast her head down.

"If you really didn't want to be with me, shouldn't you have refused me after graduation? You can't be apologizing to me from the heart, Yumi. So I was there for convenience. Just a guy that was useful, while you healed yourself?" He watched her close her eyes. Was she simply waiting for his harsh words to pass?

"No, please don't say that," Yumi began.

"But you said you were selfish. I take it that's what you implied. What else could you possibly mean?" William cornered her.

With all her might she held back her tears. "That I'm sorry that I could never return your feelings like you wished I had. I valued our relationship and I really wanted to try. But I took for granted the friendship that we'd built, thinking it was enough to make us last. It must have hurt you so much. I can't bear the guilt that comes with it anymore, William. I will never be able to return your feelings," she said, wishing the conversation would be over soon for both their sakes.

"How can you be so sure? I am not one to give up that easily, Yumi. If faith wants me to suffer, so be it. I can't let you go," he was shaking his head. "What did I do wrong? If it's about the last few weeks, I was working extra shifts on the part time job. It's Valentine's Day soon, let's go on another date to make things right again.

"I can't William," Yumi rejected his plans.

Silence befell them.

"Are you still in love with Ulrich Stern?" William carefully asked her the one question he didn't want _that_ answer to. "Why? When he didn't have the guts to approach you?" Yumi held her breath, remaining quiet. "If it's not that, then why? Let's continue. I will try harder. Don't leave," he requested, backing out of his other questions.

"Running away sure was a wrongful decision huh," Yumi said to herself. "I'm sorry William. When I accepted to be your girlfriend, it wasn't because I wanted to be in a relationship. Facing my fears turned out too emotionally challenging. I sought a safe way out. That's when you officially asked me out."

"And naturally you figured I was the closest, best option to help you with your troubles?" He let out a hollow laugh. "But I guess my own delusions got in the way of logic and rationality. I should have seen this coming. I must have really loved you too much. So much that I messed it all up and failed to keep you by my side."

Seeing William in such pain made Yumi feel even guiltier. However, she couldn't be the person he could confide in any longer. She couldn't help him through the coming period of time like he had helped her a few years ago. "William, I've -," she was cut off by him.

"I'll admit my flaws too. You've made your decision once again and I can't seem to change it no matter how much I want it, right?" He looked at her and saw her on the verge of tears. "Don't cry," he ordered. "In all honesty, I was fooling myself. I get it. The main reason we can't be, is because it requires two people to truly wish to be together. Your wish deviates too much from mine. I wanted your love, while you wanted a life. I'm sorry too, Yumi, for hurting you so many times. Even today," William told her, feeling a lump in his throat. Yumi clenched her fists, desperate not to cry.

"I really do love you, Yumi," he caressed her cheek. "But I… don't have the right to constrict you." She slowly shook her head, one tear streaming down her face. She quickly wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "You didn't," she tried to deny. William silenced her by continuing. "No, you were right. I basically caged you in and when all the changes started occurring, I changed too…for worse," he sighed. "If only I had realized earlier. We could be a normal couple living freely, doing our own stuff."

He doubted a few seconds before asking his final question. "Have you ever loved me at all?"

Yumi's eyes were full of emotions that spoke the truth. An undeniably bitter truth for William.

"Don't answer that," he said when she spoke up at the same time. "Only as a dear friend."

"Ah," William recalled all moments he made moves on her. The many hugs they shared. The small amount of kisses they shared. What had she always been thinking when he touched her? Was she repulsed by it? Confused by her own conflicted feelings? Here he was, having these thoughts for the first time. William had always considered her feelings, so he held back from doing to many - perhaps – burdensome actions. But he had always wondered why it couldn't be better without being aware of Yumi. "_Delusions… huh."_ William temporarily composed himself. For once, he was going to give in completely. No more pressing on. It was exhausting them both. Besides, it would probably be the last time he would be able to do something for her.

"Yumi Ishiyama, what do you get when you distract two from two?" He asked.

"Zero?" She answered, puzzled by his sudden question.

"The end of our relationship," he revealed. "You haven't dumped me and neither is it vice versa. You got that? I'm not letting you go and you're not leaving."

"A breakeven point…," she whispered.

"Please, let me look at it that way, okay?" Yumi couldn't define the expression on William's face. He was clearly tortured, miserable, immensely pained, but in the end he was being himself.

Yumi nodded.

"Take care," he told her. "You too, William," she whispered. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Goodbye, Yumi."

She watched him walk away. A mixture of relief and sadness was wired around her heart.

When he was out of sight, her tears flowed. "_Don't cry_" he had said. But the sadness for the sudden emptiness she felt with William gone couldn't be overruled by the relief she felt for having emptied out her heart.

Eventually, Yumi turned around and continued her way to her apartment to yet another new beginning in her life.

* * *

**Next up: Two bonus chapters! The main character in one of them will be our - probably not so - little Hiroki! Look forward to that. Thanks for reading. Comments are welcome. Oh and I apologize for any mistakes... I'm not good at staying up late :)!**


	26. Chapter 23,5: The New Boss

**A/N: So, here's the first bonus chapter. Not much to say.. Enjoy the read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

"Hiroki", there was a knock on the door to his room, "I'm home!" It was Friday evening and Yumi had arrived a few minutes ago. She was going to stay over for the weekend. "Hey sis," Hiroki greeted her after having stepped out of his room.

He had become quite tall over the years, but was still lacking a few centimetres to reach his sister's height. That did frustrate him to a certain extent. For example, when Yumi felt the need to rub his head with that deadly fist of hers. At least she wouldn't have been able to do that easily if they were the same height.

Yumi had walked off to her own room to put away her stuff. Hiroki followed her. "So how's the new job?" He asked her while standing in her room's doorway. "Great. Of course the pay is better than before, but I really enjoy the work. At first it was slightly challenging, because of the team not cooperating. However, I believe _we_ have worked through that. So now it's challenging for different reasons, the good ones," she replied while unpacking her bag.

"We?" Hiroki picked up the word. Yumi was confused for a few seconds, until she recalled all the messaging they did. She had never mentioned Ulrich was her new boss, not even to her parents. But she figured that it could wait another day. They were about to find it all out anyway. So she started the mind games. "Huh? Yeah, my boss and me," she purposefully built up the story. "I actually invited him over. He is going to come tomorrow. Just for a few hours though," she continued. "He?! Since when do people invite their bosses to their houses?!" Hiroki was a little shocked. "Well, it's only a visit Hiroki. He wants to meet my family," Yumi revealed. The answer left out so much information, that Yumi had to hold in her laughter.

"Meet the family, you say," Hiroki juggled around the words to find a hidden meaning. Yumi didn't grant him time. "Yes, you'll like him too. My boss is pretty awesome. He is even one year younger than me!" Yumi stated. "Ehhhh? But you're not that old!" Hiroki claimed. She didn't know if that was meant as a compliment or not. "Uhm, yeah, seems like he received some killer training after something didn't entirely go his way," she said rather dismissively. Hiroki just stared at her, full of disbelief. So it was no big deal to be a boss at twenty years of age?

"Anyway, you'll see him tomorrow, so behave if you'd please," she ordered. Hiroki shrugged. Together with a look that screamed "who knows if I will" he tried to rile up his sister. But she smirked right back at him. "_She's hiding something,_" he thought to himself.

"Dinner is ready!" They heard their mother call out. "Coming!" Both of them said simultaneously. They grinned at each other.

During dinner everyone caught up on each other's lives. Hiroki explained what courses he was currently following and nuanced on parts that stressed him out. He was in his sophomore year of high school, which is said to be the most annoying one of all. Yumi and their father laughed about similar struggles they had both undergone and kindly advised Hiroki on how to deal with it.

Hiroki claimed the present generation was a lot more different than his father's and pointed out that Yumi still wasn't done with her studies herself. In return their mother cut into the conversation by telling him that it didn't matter when or where someone had experienced things. The base for all of it was one and the same, which is why he should take their advice into consideration. Hiroki softly nodded, admitting that she was right. Their mother then turned her attention to her husband.

"Dear, I know you will visit a friend tomorrow. But can you wait until Yumi's boss is here before you go out?" Their father looked at Yumi. "Are you that close to your boss?" He asked. Yumi was startled for a moment. "No, well, we're good friends if I may say so," she answered. Yumi was fidgeting and Hiroki found it suspicious. "Good friends? You did tell me he wanted to meet the family," he cornered her. "Are you marrying him or something?" He started to snicker. "Hiroki!" Their mother reprimanded.

"No," Yumi quirked brow at him. "He wants to catch up with someone. He's visiting here too because it's in the same neighbourhood. I don't think it'll do us – or me – any harm to meet him," she positively told them a white lie.

"Ah well, I guess that's fine then. I will make sure to greet him before I go out," their father agreed to the earlier request.

"Want to play games sis? I have the latest version of Zombies in the Wild," Hiroki suggested. "Heh, why not. It's been a while since I played anything though," Yumi said. "Scared to lose, I see," Hiroki provoked her. "Not to you." They had a stare down before they went upstairs.

"They will never stop being such children huh." Their parents thought it was hopeless.

In the early afternoon on Saturday the doorbell rang. "Hiroki, could you get it? I'm going to make the tea," Yumi told him. "Why me?" He grumbled. "Thanks," he heard her say as he went to the front door. "Hello," he greeted, having yet to look at the guests face. "Hey, Hiroki. It's been a while," he heard a very familiar voice. And when he looked up, there was a face he hadn't seen in almost three years.

"May I come in?" Ulrich asked. Hiroki was gaping at him, but quickly shook his head to focus. "Y-yeah, sure," he told him. "Thanks," Ulrich entered and took off his shoes. "How have you been Hiroki?" For some reason, he wasn't able to make eye contact with Ulrich. Was it because he was actually pissed off that Ulrich had let his sister go? Or could he simply not find a way to face the one he had been admiring for years?

"I've been doing fine," Hiroki answered. "Good," Ulrich said, before he noticed Yumi in the living room. "Hey," he casually greeted his sister. "So you still know your way around huh," she remarked, while putting down the last cup of tea on the small table in front of the TV. The siblings' parents entered the living room shortly after, a look of surprise on their faces. "Hello sir, ma'am," Ulrich said. They returned the greeting, thinking of it merely as a visit by an old friend.

"Yumi, is your boss coming soon? Your father will be going soon," their mother asked. "He's already here," Yumi informed everyone.

It took all of them one second to digest the news.

"Y-you?! You are my sister's boss now?!" Hiroki found it incredible.

"Be sure to fill me in later honey. I've got to get going," their father said, walking away after having firmly shaken Ulrich's hand.

"Honey, at least take your coat with you," their mother followed him, "Ulrich, make yourself at home."

Hiroki's mouth fell open. That was their reaction? In his opinion, his own reaction was the only normal one.

Ulrich turned towards the remaining siblings who stood around the table that was filled with some snacks and cups of tea. He then sat on the floor, taking a cup for himself.

"Uhm sis," he waved her over and whispered, "was it really necessary to hide this?" Yumi shrugged. "No," she grinned. Hiroki narrowed his gaze at her. He had been totally caught off guard. Thoughts of how to interact with Ulrich went through his head, but he was speechless. He eyed his sister.

Yumi seemed to act entirely relaxed around Ulrich. That confused Hiroki. His sister had told him that she hadn't been in contact with Ulrich for years. He could say with certainty that she also hadn't spoken him before finding out that Ulrich was going to be her new boss. With William being her boyfriend that probably wasn't the best anyway. Speaking of William, did he know?

He had so many questions for his sister, but would save them for later. "I'll go see where mum went, be right back," Yumi announced and left the room. "So, Ulrich, how come you suddenly decided to visit?" Hiroki bluntly asked him, thinking he wouldn't have the chance if his sister was in the room. He wanted to get out the most troublesome question first. "I figured it was time to show my face again. Especially with the current circumstances," Ulrich honestly answered, not in the slightest taken aback by the younger brother's words. "You know, I think my sister is stupid, but she was really sad when she left." Hiroki still wasn't making any eye contact. "I know," was the direct answer. "This might come out of the blue, but I really thought you liked my sister," he carefully stated. "I _do,_" was the reply.

That got Hiroki to lift his head. Ulrich had a serious air around him. How was he supposed to continue the conversation now? "If you want to know what happened, I can tell you anytime you want," Ulrich gently told him. "You're worried about that stupid sister of yours, right?" Hiroki looked away, embarrassed. "Me too," Ulrich admitted.

"How is it? Being my sister's boss?" Hiroki asked him. "Beyond strange, I guess," Ulrich revealed. "I spent a large part of my life always being one year behind in everything and now I'm suddenly her boss." He took a sip of his tea. "It was a huge coincidence though. I switched companies at the last moment. I was actually accepted for another job as well, but I wanted the more challenging one," he said.

"What is it with you guys and challenges? Is it worth the effort?" Hiroki questioned. Ulrich laughed. He recalled all the fights on Lyoko. If he had to compare the effort and level of difficulty of that to his office job, Lyoko would win. "It is," he said. Hiroki leaned back on his hands. "Hmm, so has my sister done any crazy stuff at work?" The seventeen-year-old was digging for things to make fun of his sister. "Not anything in particular. She's doing great in fact. Better than me. At least, that's what I think." Ulrich took a few crackers to eat.

"Too bad," Hiroki said. "Don't bother your sister too much. I reckon she still helps you out with your homework. I would be nice to her if I were you. You know how she is when she is annoyed," Ulrich snickered. Hiroki suddenly froze. "Uhm," he pointed behind Ulrich, who wanted to turn around. But it was too late. Yumi had returned and she had overheard the last part. She whacked him on the head. "Really, do tell me. I'm all ears," she urged him on.

Ulrich just laughed again. "Awh, come on Yumi. It isn't necessarily bad. You're cute when you're like that," he kept on laughing. The siblings stilled however. Hiroki caught the blush on Yumi's face and smirked when she looked at him. "Don't you dare say a thing," she hissed, while Ulrich wasn't paying attention. "About what?" Hiroki whistled.

He hadn't expected himself to be so welcoming of this present comfortable feeling. The three of them hanging out together at their house was something that he thought would never happen again. And here they were.

"Hiroki, how's school?" Ulrich asked him. "Eh," he was startled out of his thoughts "I'm doing fine." Yumi hit him lightly on his shoulder. "Well, mostly," he corrected himself and began to tell his story. After that they spent the next couple of hours casually talking about their lives until it was time for Ulrich to leave again.

Yumi made her way to the front door first, followed by Ulrich who was simply staring after her. Hiroki had noticed all the side glances he had stolen at Yumi. He was convinced that Ulrich's feelings ran deeper than what he originally thought. "How on Earth have you held back knowing that William is her boyfriend?" He whispered to himself.

Ulrich looked at Hiroki and back to Yumi who was fumbling with the keys. He ruffled Hiroki's hair. "It was really nice to see you again. I'll stop by when you have a break. Call me if you want to talk," he said, handing him a piece of paper with his number on it. Hiroki brightened up. "Thanks. Next time, let's play some video games. I have the latest edition of Zombies in the Wild," he offered. "Sure, see you later then," Ulrich smiled and turned to his sister, "Yumi, see you on Monday," he said as he left the house.

Hiroki watched his sister once more. He was sure Ulrich's reappearance in her life made her feel conflicted, but she didn't let it show. He sighed. Time sure changed a lot, but some things were left untouched.

He just hoped both of his sister and Ulrich would be okay in the end.

* * *

**A/N: This one was just something light I wanted to get in the story. It's might feel incomplete. But Hiroki will reappear, so no worries. This was written because it was done off screen in the main story :)! Next up, the second bonus chapter.**


	27. Chapter 23,75: Those You Hate to See

**A/N: Hello! First of all, Happy New Year to all of you! May all your goals be reached and dreams come true :)! Secondly, a big thank you to the new readers for the favs, follows and reviews. Naturally, my gratitude also goes out to you who have been reading this already. Off to a happy start this year, let's keep it that way haha. Enjoy the read. This is the last of the two bonus chapters.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Ulrich was on his way to the restaurant for the dinner appointment with his father and uncle. It suddenly occurred to him that this was going to be a dinner with three males, who – next to being family – had nothing in common other than their line of business. It was a fact that nothing could mentally prepare him for the middle-aged men's talk he was going to hear tonight.

"Ulrich, glad to see you're here," his uncle greeted him warmly when he entered the restaurant. Apparently his uncle had been confirming his reservation for tonight with the receptionist. "What do you think? It's a pretty grand place, isn't it?" Ulrich looked around to grasp the feeling. It was a modern styled Japanese restaurant. He instantly thought of Yumi. "_She would sure love it here_." He noticed that his uncle was eagerly awaiting his reaction. "Ah, yes, it's a really nice place. I hope you do know how to eat with chopsticks, uncle."

The older man laughed wholeheartedly. "I sure do, this _is_ my friend's restaurant after all. How about your father?" Ulrich didn't have an answer for that. The rare times they did go out for dinner was because his mother wanted them to. They would never spent such close times together otherwise. So, other than his normal proper etiquette way of eating, Ulrich had no clue whether or not his father was capable of using the wooden sticks. "We'll find out tonight, then," his uncle interrupted his thoughts.

"Sir, your table for six is ready. Please follow me," the receptionist told them. "Six? Are there more guests?" Ulrich inquired. "Yes. A childhood friend of mine, Jonathan, his boss Cindy Delmas and her daughter Sissi Delmas. I suggested we'd have the ladies come as well, to discuss some business," his uncle revealed. "So.. you're catching up with your friend while doing business?" Ulrich found it a strange combination for multitasking. Suddenly dread filled him. Sissi was coming as well. He resisted the urge use some kind of lame excuse to get out of there. But that was mainly because his father was going to arrive soon.

This was going to be the first meeting between the Delmas family members and his father. Probably with Jonathan too, but that was none of his concern. Ulrich was certain once again. Nothing, really nothing, would be able to mentally prepare him for the next two hours.

They were on their way to the table, when Ulrich glanced around some more. And that's when he saw her sitting there. "_Yumi_?" She looked beautiful and graceful while she seemed to be waiting for someone. Ulrich felt like a spy about to be caught, but he couldn't stop staring. "Uncle, I'll be right..," he stopped mid-sentence when he saw who had just arrived at her table. "_Of course, it's like that_."

His uncle was confused. "You'll be right?" Ulrich snapped out of it. "Ah, I meant to say I'll be righteously thanking you for today. I've read some reviews. This place has received a lot of praise," he quickly fabricated a completely unnecessary lie. It got his uncle to laugh again. "Ha, Ulrich. What's with those sudden manners of yours? At least try the food first, before pulling out a line like that." The laughing didn't stop, but it failed to improve Ulrich's mood. "I'm not that hungry anymore," he inaudibly whispered to himself.

Minutes later his father joined the two at the table. Ulrich had chosen the seat at the corner of the table. It was located opposite his father and next to his uncle, which made it the perfect spot for him to sit. That way there was no chance of Sissi sitting next to or across from him. He predicted that Sissi was going to sit in the seat diagonally across from him, but he'd somehow be able to deal with that. The following problem was of more importance to him at the moment. When he sat down he looked forward and found out he had an outlook on Yumi's table. The rest of the seats were blocked from view by a separating wall.

Ulrich was having a hard time to not start watching Yumi. He hadn't done this on purpose. He knew that. Although it could still look like he _had_. But that direction was a pointless one to go into. No one cared about these matters other than himself. Eventually he settled on the part that dominated his rationality. 'Yumi and William' wasn't the best movie to watch during dinner time. However, his other option 'Father and Uncle' wasn't very promising either.

Thus, despite not wanting to look, his gaze went to Yumi. She was talking to William, but the atmosphere between the two was tense. He could even tell from where he was seated. "_I hope she's okay_." Ulrich was slightly worried about what could have happened, but then reminded himself he shouldn't meddle in their affairs.

"Ulrich, you seem distracted. How has work been?" His father's question brought him back to the boring present. "I have things under control. The team has opened up to me and my secretary has been a great help," he disclosed. "That's good," his father commented. "Who's your secretary? I don't remember your uncle telling me about this." His uncle joined the conversation, interrupting Ulrich in the process. "She's truly a hard worker. She never disappoints, always at the top of her game," he remarked.

"Well, keep up the good work then," his father ended their conversation and continued talking with his uncle. It didn't bother Ulrich that his father was being his usual abrupt self, but he wondered whether a little more effort was too much to ask. Just business. That defined his father through and through. "Dad, if you could spare a few more moments," he began sarcastically, which earned him a hard look from his father. "My secretary is Yumi Ishiyama. It's my friend from Kadic Academy. Although she worked at the company before I did. I figured I'd let you know," he finished. "The Japanese girl?"

Ulrich was visibly stunned. "Yes," he simply confirmed. "Is she your girlfriend? If so, it might be better to fire her. Having a relationship at your workplace is unprofessional and has no chance of being successful." He had expected that reaction, but he didn't want to hide the identity of his co-workers. Why should he? Ulrich decided he wouldn't take the bait to make a discussion out of this. "No, she is not."

"Just make sure to draw the line. Don't let her distract you," his father commanded. "_Don't worry, you're more of a distraction than she is_," Ulrich thought. "I'm sure you heard uncle say she is amazing at her work. I can take my own decisions." His father was about to tell his son to behave when Sissi made her entrance together with Cindy and Jonathan.

"Good evening," she calmly stated. Greetings were exchanged and introductions were underway when Sissi found a moment to wave at Ulrich from where she was going to sit. His prediction came true. The duo that sat across from him was one he would rather not have seen, but Sissi didn't seem to mind sitting next to his father. That feeling was mutual, judging from the unfazed look of the man in front of him. "Let's order," his uncle decided.

Regardless of how much he wished, time was passing by as slow as a snail. "Excuse me for a few minutes. I'm going outside," he announced. After enduring 90 minutes of boredom he couldn't take it anymore. "May I come with you?" Sissi politely asked. Ulrich thought it was annoying that she chose these moments to be so uncharacteristically well behaved. He got that it was normal, but it clashed a lot with her inner self. The outgoing version.

He stared at her for a second while he tried to come up with an answer that wasn't suggestive. After all, he didn't want anyone around the table to have any misunderstandings. "I'm just going to retrieve something I left in the car. I'll be right back," he said. "That's fine, I could use some fresh air," Sissi waved off his attempt to reject her idea. Ulrich was slightly irritated. "I also have a phone call to make," he lied. She was a little disappointed, putting on a sad face, and those around them noticed. His father gave him a disapproving look and interfered. "Ulrich. Can't your phone call wait? You should accept the lady's request."

Ulrich really wanted to go home. "You can come if you want to," he eventually gave in. It was better not to make a scene.

Sissi followed him out of the restaurant. "Next time, don't persist like that," Ulrich told her off. "Hey, you're not the only one who felt the suffocating atmosphere. I would have gone outside even if you hadn't," she defended herself. "Then go to the bathroom or something. You're feeding them weird ideas," he said. "You did not just tell a lady to go to the bathroom…," Sissi looked at him with disbelief. "Uh, well, you get my point," he said. "Besides, what's wrong with _us_," she pointed at the two of them.

"Everything," Ulrich curtly responded. "Look, I've told you this before. You and I will never end up together. I don't like you." Unfortunately, he knew that hitting the hammer on that nail wouldn't scare her off. "That doesn't mean that I can't try. You obviously don't hate me either," Sissi argued. Ulrich felt like slapping some sense into her. "That's because it's only fair to treat you like a human being," he said. Sissi fell silent and Ulrich was grateful one of his remarks had at least affected her.

"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a phone call to make," he said, leaving her at the entrance. She watched him go and huffed in annoyance before going back inside the warm restaurant.

Ulrich reached his car, which he had parked somewhere further down the street. He got what he needed and started to head back, when a familiar figure walking at the opposite side of the street caught his eye. It was William. "Huh, shouldn't he be escorting Yumi home or something?" Ulrich pondered aloud. He was startled when William also saw him standing there. And much to his dismay, William came over to where he was.

"Uhm," Ulrich hesitated. Was this the point he was supposed to start the conversation? No, right? "How are you?" He tried out. "Just great," William's reply oozed sarcasm. "Well, then, see you around I guess," Ulrich said, continuing his walk back to the restaurant. "I seriously hate you," William started. That statement pissed off Ulrich enough to stand still and turn back. "Don't worry, the feeling is mutual," he spitefully shot back. "But I hate myself more," William added. Ulrich hadn't expected that. "What?"

"It's none of your concern," William said. Ulrich was even more pissed off. Why the hell would he say something like that? Did he want him to worry about him? "How is Yumi doing?" Ulrich was suspicious of his weird behaviour. "Why don't you ask her yourself? _Goodbye_, Stern," William said.

William cast him one last look he couldn't define before walking away.

Ulrich mentally noted to ask Yumi tomorrow if anything had happened today. For now, he had to focus on surviving this evening's dinner.

* * *

**A/N: See you next time, in which the main story continues. Next up: the testing of Aelita's and Jeremie's new game :)!**


	28. Chapter 24: The Error

**A/N: And the main story continues again! This is a little more adventurous though haha. Enjoy the read and thanks for the continued support!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Jeremie and Aelita were waiting for their friends in front of ELITA's entrance. The only place that was both spacious and classified enough to test the virtual reality game was the lab that the geniuses often frequented. It was a private lab which required a special card to access the large room.

They had all agreed to meet at eleven o'clock in the morning. Jeremie and Aelita wanted to explain how the game worked first. The plan was to eat lunch afterwards before actually starting the test run.

"Hey guys," Yumi greeted. She noticed the two were holding hands and found it simply adorable. "Looks like geniuses really do stick together," Odd remarked as he arrived right after Yumi. Normally they would have let go of each other, but this time Odd's joke was so bad that they figured it embarrassed him more than them. "Odd," Yumi shook her head, "that one was really bad." He put his hands behind his head and grinned. "Yeah, let's blame it on the freezing morning," he told them.

"Do you two know where Ulrich is?" Aelita inquired after the still absent brunet. "Nope," Odd said. Yumi shook her head once more. "It's only a few minutes after eleven now. Let's go inside and wait in the lobby," Jeremie suggested and opened the front doors of ELITA. Everyone followed him in.

They used the coffee machine in the corner and each got a warm drink. All of them wrapped their hands around their own cup in an attempt to battle the cold. "Anything special going on in life?" Yumi casually asked.

"I asked Kelly to live with me, although Yumi might have already known that." Odd glanced at the taller woman who smiled upon hearing the familiar news. "That's a pretty big step for a scrawny person," Aelita joked. "Hey, hey, hey, that's getting old you know! I've been working out lately," he fended off her remark by showing of his non-existent muscles. "Odd, it's alright. You'll get there," Aelita's fake sympathy had him glaring at her. They started a staring game in the middle of Odd's story. Jeremie interrupted them. "Ahem, so what was her answer?"

Odd broke off their staring contest. "Oh, she agreed and we've started living together since the end of last week," he concluded. "And how is it?" Yumi was curious. "Strangely difficult," Odd admitted, "I haven't really adapted to constantly having someone around. You know how I never really tidy up until it cannot be overlooked anymore, but with Kelly it's like _every day_ is cleaning duty for me. She's really picky with her food as well and says we shouldn't buy too much. But I can't live without my fully stocked fridge! Things like that," he explained. Aelita and Yumi were trying not to laugh at Odd.

"I would like to see you guys try," he pointed at Jeremie and Aelita. "By the time we will, I hope you'll still be in one piece," Jeremie countered. Yumi snickered and Aelita giggled. "Ladies, you're really not kind today," Odd faked being hurt.

"Sorry I'm late," someone announced. They turned their heads to find Ulrich had entered the building. "No problem. We were just listening to Odd's rambling," Jeremie dismissed it. Ulrich looked amused. "About Kelly?" Yumi and Aelita nodded in unison. Ulrich's gaze lingered slightly longer on Yumi. It didn't slip by the others, but no comments were made. "Yes Odd, that's very different from bragging all the time huh," Ulrich told his best friend. Odd just stood there and crossed his arms. "Really, guys?"

"Okay, let me lock up and activate the security system for the entrance again and then we'll head upstairs," Jeremie cut in.

Once they were upstairs, Jeremie gave them a simplified explanation of the theories behind their work. He kept it as short as possible, mostly because of prior experiences he had with telling them the 'boring' stuff. After that they ate lunch outside. When they returned, Jeremie continued. "So, similar to the scanners, we have developed these small discs that have the same effect."

Aelita showed them the discs. The three of them were puzzled, yet fascinated by the electronic devices. "They look like frisbees," Yumi commented. "You must be careful upon using them. They're still very delicate and not water resistant. It's a results of our first prototype, but it does the job. Later on, we will design and develop improved versions," Jeremie told them. Aelita nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it's not difficult to activate. You will need to set up your login identity first by scanning your finger in the left bottom corner of the display on top. It will then ask you to state your name and to give a password. The latter will be done by voice recognition, so it's important you do that correctly. Your name can be entered in the display. Your first name would suffice. Once all of that is done, you will be able to play the game. Every time you start up this device by pressing the top right corner of the display, it'll ask you for your name and your password. Then it will simply scan your body, much like the scanners, and you'll enter the game," Aelita explained.

"Is it safe though?" Yumi asked.

"I'm positive there aren't any programming errors. We used the data we collected from all previous materializations to Lyoko, which includes your digital structures. There will be no problems," Jeremie confidently claimed. Aelita once again nodded, backing up her partner.

"Okay, that's all fine," Ulrich started. "But you informed us before that we're testing the limited edition. What's the difference between this game and the other one?"

"This game has five more sectors. Every fifteen minutes the environment will randomly change, affecting the gameplay. You'll have to take into account how much variation this game offers. Constant awareness is actually a must. However, you guys shouldn't have any problems with that. Oh, by the way. In the limited edition, you'll need at least a pair of players to play the adventure mode. If you're soloing, then you can only use the training mode," Jeremie answered.

"And," Aelita emphasized, "You need a stable internet connection to communicate with each other."

"So we can talk to each other?" Yumi asked.

"Yes, it will be like standing next to each other in real life. But communication requires the network, otherwise you won't be able to hear one another," Aelita said.

"Wonderful, we don't have the best Wi-Fi connection at home," Odd complained. "The router always flips. We've already called for the internet provider for help, but we're scheduled in for next week Tuesday. Can you believe that?"

Nobody responded to his question.

"So, carrying on," Jeremie announced. Odd rolled his eyes. "The rest is pretty much the same as I explained before. Are you guys ready?"

"Sure am," Ulrich said.

"Well, I am," Yumi said.

"Of course I am!" Odd exclaimed.

"Wonderful. The more players in the team - with a maximum of five - the more difficult the levels are. In the next update, we will add a function that allows you to choose your difficulty regardless of the amount of players. For instance, when you're a team of two, you will be able to set the difficulty to the one used when you're a team of five," Jeremie said.

"Cool. One more thing, Einstein," Ulrich said. "Can you also train together? As in, against someone else?"

"No, that's not possible yet. We really want the fundamentals of the game to work perfectly before implementing other functions. The option to train against other players will be added in the next update as well. We still have time. The basics need to be finalized first," Aelita said.

"Great!" Odd complimented. "You guys are actually really outdoing yourselves. The whole idea is awesome. How did you come up with this?"

"Well, we figured the adventures we've been through weren't all bad. Lyoko was a mind blowing piece of work and we found that it would be a waste to let its' complexity and beauty wither away only because we shut down the super computer," Aelita admitted.

"We are also well aware that you guys have missed the adventures we had. It was definitely not easy to move on. We know. However, I believe all of us have been able to put the past involving X.A.N.A behind us now. Aelita and I wanted to make you relive the thrilling feels, but without the saving the world part," Jeremie added.

They all laughed at that.

"Then the question remains. Who wants to start?" Aelita asked while holding out one of the discs.

Yumi, Ulrich and Odd eyed each other. "Rock, paper, scissors?" Yumi suggested. The males nodded.

"GO!" They each put out a hand. Odd showed scissors. Ulrich showed rock. Yumi showed scissors.

"I guess I'll see you later," Ulrich said as he stepped forward.

"We'll skip the identity configuration. You can all do that at home using your own devices. I'll hand them out later. For now, you'll use the ones for testing," Aelita calmly stated.

"Good luck," Odd teased Ulrich.

"I'll start up a holographic display of where you will be. We can keep track of you that way," Jeremie notified them.

Ulrich got materialized successfully. As did Yumi and Odd. They looked around and saw a vast area of desert with rocks strewn all across the place. "This brings back memories," Yumi spoke for the three of them. The males nodded. "Hey, Einstein. How come we're not wearing any outfits or anything?" Odd asked. His habit of directing his speech upwards hadn't been broken from when they usually conversed with Jeremie on Lyoko – when they weren't under attack.

Aelita answered. "That's part of the setup process. Since we're testing, let's use our old data to give you outfits." She typed in a few commands and their outfits changed to their old Lyoko attire. "Wow, talk about nostalgic," Yumi said, once again speaking for everyone.

"We'll do a test run of three levels. Easy, intermediate and difficult. Each of them will last half an hour. But first we need to give you some weapons. Any preferences?" Jeremie inquired.

"If we can get back our Lyoko outfits, can't we have the same weapons too?" Ulrich commented.

"You can, but the idea was to test different weapons. We have about twelve of them. Although a lot of them are bladed weapons," Jeremie hesitated and looked at Aelita. She smiled at him and then spoke through her microphone.

"I think it's best if we just randomly hand you weapons for each difficulty that we want to test. That way, you'll experience a majority of them. Our intention is to merely test the game. You guys don't have to win," Aelita told them, but was prepared for the arguments of their friends.

"You can leave that to us," Odd said, crossing his arms. The others followed his pose. "Yeah, sure, go ahead. We'll show you," Ulrich agreed to Aelita's suggestion. Yumi eventually shrugged. "We'll be here all day like this. You can choose whatever you think is fine. We will be able to handle it," she said. "Great," Aelita replied.

Shortly after that their programmed weapons appeared before them. Yumi suddenly found herself in possession of arrows that were positioned in a bag that was strapped to her back. Before her lay a bow. "Nice." She picked it up and immediately practiced her posture. Odd had about twenty throwing knives strapped across his chest. "I guess you trust my aim," he said. "Oh, throwing types get respawned fifteen seconds after they're used. However, you have to follow the order they're numbered in," he heard Aelita warn them. Ulrich was presented with a fighting stick. "Not my forte, but it'll do," he grumbled. Yumi looked amused and Odd looked ready to tease him.

"Shall we make a competition out of this? The one to destroy the most monsters, will treat everyone to dinner!" Odd excitedly announced. "What about Aelita and Jeremie then?" Yumi asked. "Odd, let's not play stupid games. Please focus on the task at hand," Jeremie scolded. "Hey, relax. This won't cost you anything. We're just having fun," Odd assured him. Aelita giggled. "Let's have it their way. We will be able to gather the necessary data anyway," she convinced Jeremie. "Okay, fine..," he gave in.

"Let's have our geniuses bet on who they think will win. If they're wrong, they also pay alongside the loser between us," Ulrich suggested. "Deal, but I won't disclose who I vote for," he said. "Neither will I," Aelita said. "That's only fair," Yumi accepted it.

"Let's begin!"

* * *

The first level was easily cleared. At first, Yumi struggled a lot with her bow and arrows. However, she quickly got it under control and was hitting nearly all her targets afterwards. Odd's skills with laser arrows had come in handy. He expertly used the throwing knives and had a close to perfect hit rate from all the monsters he had fought against. Ulrich was the one who had been at rock bottom after the first test. He had been able to handle his weapon. However, monsters wouldn't die instantly after having been attacked once. Ulrich wasn't able to make use of the area compared to the location of the monsters. He placed third, five points behind Yumi.

The second level ended quite differently. It had been a turning point. Ulrich had received two maces and had ruthlessly made his way throughout the entire area. Yumi had gotten to experience the shurikens. She had been frustrated that she had to wait for the respawns until she could go again, but there was nothing she could do about it. Ulrich and Yumi both had perfect hit rates, which resulted in the misery of Odd. The latter had been given a spear. "Maybe you simply weren't clever enough?" Ulrich told him. "I mean, there had to be a better way than throwing it _every _time," he said. Odd ignored him, temporarily sulking. Yumi laughed.

"Okay, guys, we've collected the necessary data. But the data gathered from the last test may be helpful to us, so if you could keep up we'd be grateful," Aelita kindly relayed the information.

"No problem, princess," Odd answered. "I can't lose!"

"This level is different from the others. It's not the last test for nothing. Your HP will be halved during certain stages in the game in order to decide how much you level up. If you succeed, you level up twice. If you fail, you level up once. These levels are the only ones in which a fixed amount of monsters has to be defeated. It does not depend on the amount of players," Jeremie explained. "So, this is one of those levels. Good luck."

"Great, such vagueness," Ulrich rolled his eyes. He eyed Yumi. They had all been having so much fun that he almost forgot his true purpose. He wanted to ask her what had happened earlier this week. At work, Ulrich had been so busy that he hadn't found an opportunity to sit and talk with Yumi like he wanted to. He had figured today was his ultimate chance. It was weekend. There was no work – of course there was, but it could wait a little. And most important of all, no distractions by other employees. Ulrich only had to find a moment to be alone with Yumi.

Despite Jeremie's claim, the third test was over in a flash. That was probably because of the choice of weapons. Ulrich had a katana in each hand. Yumi was equipped with tessen fans. And Odd had been making unexpectedly fine use of a pair of daggers. "Okay, that was quick," Jeremie's comment made them smirk in satisfaction. "It might be my fault. I made it easy for them with those weapons," Aelita said, feeling a little guilty. "No, it's fine. We can use this to improve these levels. I'm actually glad it went like this. I saw some errors we can fix," Jeremie put his hand on Aelita's back. "Don't worry. It went well." Aelita smiled.

"You can come back now," Jeremie refocused. "Just devirtualize each other, since you can't log out without an identity. For the record, it's not like this in the actual game. This is only because it's the test run and I'm letting you do it," he clarified.

"Ohhh it's been so long since we have done that. Let's go together on three. And with that, I mean _on_ three," Odd began and laughed. "I know I always annoyed you two with that." He grinned. "So it's one, two, hit and -," Odd didn't have a chance to finish his sentence. Ulrich had mercilessly stabbed him into the real world.

"Someone was eager," Yumi folded her arms. "Should we go on three then?" She asked, completely disregarding the atmosphere.

"Einstein, can you cut off communication for a while?" Ulrich requested. Yumi frowned.

"Why? It's better if you come back first," Jeremie was confused as to why he would want that.

"Just do it," Ulrich ordered.

"And I'm telling you, it's better to regroup here first," Jeremie wanted him to understand his point of view. Aelita put her hand on his shoulder. "Five minutes is all we'll give you. We cannot hear you, but you can hear us," Aelita said before pressing the key that deactivates the link with in-game communication. She then took of her headset.

"Why did you do that?" Jeremie couldn't believe it, as he too took of his headset. "You know it's safer to get them out first." Aelita stared at the holographic display. "I don't think Ulrich would have asked if it weren't anything serious," she stated. "Yumi has had tough times as well. If they want some space and privacy, we can give that to them as their friends." Jeremie followed her gaze and watched the display as well. "Should we shut that off as well?" He asked, upon seeing his two friends conversing. "Yes. We can always monitor the dots on-screen," Aelita pointed out. Finally, Jeremie typed in the command to close the holographic display.

Odd returned a few minutes later. "Hey, should it really take this long to return to Earth?" He complained. "It took me pretty long. If I'm not wrong, this is usually a matter of seconds, right?" Aelita and Jeremie had already noticed and exchanged worried looks. "Let me look into that really quickly," the blonde-haired responded. "That doesn't sound good," Odd was now worried as well. "Why aren't Yumi and Ulrich back yet?"

"Ulrich's request. I think they're talking. It is probably the reason why he acted like he did when he devirtualized you," Aelita informed him.

"But with this probable issue, isn't it better to manually dematerialize them?" Odd asked.

"I'm trying Odd. It isn't working," Jeremie answered with audible frustration. Aelita reached for her headset again and activated the link with in-game communication once more. "Yumi, Ulrich, I'm sorry. We might have a problem. Please devirtualize each other as quickly as you can. You need to come back," she sounded desperate.

"I think it's too late for that," Yumi answered. Ulrich and Yumi had basically been transformed into holograms and weren't able to slice, cut or stab each other. Their short conversation had been effectively put on a hold. "What do you mean Ulrich?" Aelita asked. "Let's just say, monsters are closing in on us and we're practically holograms that don't look like holograms," he answered.

"Can you move?" Jeremie joined in.

"Yes..," Yumi said. "But I think our weapons just evaporated into thin air." She stared at her empty hands.

"Try to move to an area that's less open. Go south. Do your weapons work on the monsters? Oh wait, you don't have them anymore. Can _they_ hit you?"

"Well, let me try," Ulrich sarcastically began, right when one monster managed to hit his arm by throwing one of his hands. "Nevermind," he sighed, rubbing his arm. "How come they can hit us?" Yumi was suddenly afraid. "It's a virus. Someone sabotaged the game Aelita," they heard Jeremie say. "That's impossible. It has been optimally secured," they heard the pinkette reply.

"Guys, can you figure that out later. We don't want them to die right?" Odd came between them.

Jeremie stared at Odd. "Right." He composed himself and spoke up again. "Ulrich, Yumi, find some place to shelter yourselves. You're in the mountains, so heading south will do. Aelita and I will find a way out." Aelita put her hand over his and squeezed. "I promise we'll get you out soon," she said.

"Please hurry," Yumi pleaded. Ulrich pulled her along as they ran to find a safe place.

"We will," they heard Aelita say before a crackling noise could be heard.

They all knew what that meant. No more communication.

"Great, just great," Ulrich said. Yumi had fallen silent.

They had reached a cave that was out of sight for most monsters and hoped they could hold out until Jeremie and Aelita had found a solution. He looked at Yumi and saw her huddled against the wall. Ulrich went to sit beside her and held her close to him. "We'll be fine. It's nothing we haven't been through before. Let's have faith in our geniuses," he told her. She leaned in closer and nodded.

Ulrich stroked her hair while he suddenly thought about something. If there really was someone who wanted to sabotage this game, were they out to get ELITA? Or were they out to get someone else?

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was really just for the test run. Next time we'll have the YxU parts :P. Leave your thoughts?:)**


	29. Chapter 25: Breaking News

**A/N: So, I had a few things going on in real life. Hence, the delay. My apologies for the longer wait. The schedule should resume as before. I've been thinking about a way to notify you all, which is why - from now on - I'll post a message on my profile page if I won't be able to make the deadline, with some sort of explanation xD.. I hope you'll enjoy the read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

When the communication with the laboratory had been switched off, Yumi eyed Ulrich warily. "If this is a joke, you may end it now," she sharply told him. "I need to talk to you," he said. She shook her head. "And that couldn't have waited until later?" Ulrich stared at her, a mixture of a glare and determination.

"I would have done that, if you hadn't been so stubborn this week." She crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised. "What are you implying?" She asked. "You have been avoiding me to a certain extent," he claimed. "So? Has it occurred to you that I don't want to talk?" Ulrich sensed that she was trying to get him to back off. "Yumi," he gently began, "don't you think we have the trust needed to be able to share pretty much everything with each other?"

She was a little taken aback by that statement. Yumi hesitated. "If it's about my concentration at work, it'll get better soon." Ulrich scoffed. "You seriously don't need to worry about focus. You'd probably be able to get the same amount of work done as others with ten distractions around you. No, Yumi. _This_ is about _you_ and most likely a specific person that _I_ can't stand," he revealed.

"Since I guessed that already, I thought my lack of interest in talking about my current personal life was a clear sign," Yumi replied. Ulrich sighed. "I'm only concerned about your well-being Yumi." Yumi uncrossed her arms and absent-mindedly opened and closed her fans repeatedly. "Thanks, but it's not welcomed," she harshly told him.

Ulrich just stared at her. "That's a lie," he said. She averted her gaze. "Look, at least let me confirm something. That Tuesday you went out to dinner with William, right?" He quickly asked her, not giving her a chance to retort. Yumi was surprised. "How do you know that?" She asked, facing him again. "I was there as well. Business dinner with my uncle and my father… and Sissy, Mrs. Delmas and that secretary Jonathan. That was hell by the way. But, when I went outside to get something out of the car, I met William on the way back to the restaurant. He didn't look happy – not that I've ever seen him satisfied or content. He was being very vague and he wouldn't speak about you like he usually does," Ulrich finally got in the starter of the conversation.

"Your point?" Yumi remained hesitantly distant. Ulrich was dumbfounded. "Well, what happened for him to be that weird?"

"We broke up," she said with an unexpectedly soft tone. Somewhere in her mind she wondered whether she should have said 'I broke up with him'. Then she recalled the moment all over again and decided it was a proper way to bring across the message.

"You broke up..," Ulrich understood the meaning of those words. He just couldn't react normally. His first thought was "_finally"_, but he couldn't say that aloud. His second thought was about William's behaviour, which seemed to make sense now.

"Yes," she suddenly felt nervous. Yumi had tried to keep her sensitivity hidden. She didn't want to fret about the details. She didn't want to be reminded. Was this going to be the moment to lay open her heart for him to see?

Ulrich wanted to chicken out and almost wished for Jeremie to switch on communication again. However, seeing Yumi awkwardly fidgeting with her fans held him back. This was also not easy for her. "Why?"

"Huh?" Was that usually the question you asked in this situation? "Uhm, I…," she trailed off and stepped back. Ulrich stepped forward in sync with her, silently encouraging her to tell him. "It was too hard to keep up our relationship. I felt like it was too strained," Yumi settled on an answer she hoped would put an end to their talk.

"Did he hurt you? Or do anything else?" Ulrich was concerned.

"No," she frantically waved her fans in front of her. "He didn't. I believe it was more the opposite of that." Yumi let the remark slip and she stilled, pressing her lips together. She saw him waiting and felt like she was being taken apart.

"William and I just weren't on the same page and it was difficult to cope with the constant discussions and fights between us," Yumi continued. "He requested me to sort it out with him, but I believed it was time for me to draw a firm line. One that couldn't be crossed or erased. There is a limit to how much one can take." She frowned. It was easy to say William was the main cause. However, her inner self did not agree and Yumi struggled with that fact.

"Okay," Ulrich paused and looked at the ground. "I won't ask anything else. I hope you're okay, thanks for telling me." His curiosity hadn't been stilled, but he figured it wasn't right to pry any further than this. Yumi was quiet once more and he eyed her serene form. She nodded and wanted to speak up again, but stopped when Ulrich held up his katana.

"Listen," he said. Yumi focused and heard scuttling noises from behind.

"What do you think it could be?" She whispered, feeling the need to lower her voice.

"Monsters," Ulrich confirmed as he cast a look over Yumi's shoulder. "And it's not a small bunch."

"Great, did they activate something in the lab?" Yumi asked the question, but knew there was no answer. "Hey, Jeremie, can you turn on the…," she got cut off when a monster jumped forward. Yumi stumbled and fell on the ground. Ulrich stepped in, buying her enough time to get back up. He sliced the monster in half. "Why are they so big? The others were smaller," Ulrich said. "Also, Jeremie and Aelita cannot hear us. Five minutes aren't over yet."

Yumi frowned. "We don't really have any other choice," she said, throwing her fans at two other monsters. "These creepy beings are just larger versions of the ones we fought before," she noticed. He saw it too. Two monsters inched closer and swiped wildly and randomly at them. Both Yumi and Ulrich weren't able to keep up with their quick pacing and were stung by their claws. "Ouch," she rubbed her arm, "this thing's fast."

Ulrich upped his game and skilfully moved behind the monsters to stab them right in the middle. "There," he said and rubbed his arm afterwards. "Ulrich!" Yumi shouted.

"What's wrong?!"

"You disappeared for a second," she told him. He stared at her.

"So did you…"

"This is too strange," she commented. "Let's devirtualize each other."

"Agreed, on three," he started counting when Yumi nodded in approval. "One, two." They attacked one another, but nothing happened.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Ulrich said. "For now, we need to stay out of sight. Let's go," he decided and took her hand. Before they ran off, they heard Aelita's voice.

* * *

When the communication broke off a few moments later, Yumi panicked. A stream of thoughts was going through her head as Ulrich pulled her along to a supposedly safe place. He had quickly found a cave for them to hide. She went to the back of the cave and sat against its wall, while Ulrich checked the entrance. He blocked a large part of the gap with two big stones.

After that, he sat beside her and whispered reassuring words. Yumi couldn't help but feel safe instantly, despite their dire situation. "Why does this have to happen to us?" She asked him. Her head lay on his shoulder. "I don't know. If someone has really sabotaged this, then I'm worried about who the target is," Ulrich shared, as he stroked her hair. "I guess XANA's return would be less of a shock than this. At least we would know what to expect," Yumi said. Ulrich had no reply to her statement.

Silence hung in the cave for ten minutes. Yumi took a deep breath. "I never truly wanted to start a relationship with William," she carefully spoke up and felt Ulrich stiffen. He didn't respond. "I was on the verge of breaking apart. At the time, there were so many conflicting feelings. But I couldn't bring myself to open up about it. Eventually, it all built up. Kind of like a pile of paperwork that couldn't be ordered anymore. Instead of working it all out, I chose to set myself apart from everything in hope of finding a solution. But I guess asking William to help me with that was just me being a hypocrite. Even though I knew it was unfair, I still agreed to become his girlfriend so I wouldn't be alone," she paused to breathe in and out. She was shaking, but felt Ulrich's grip on her tighten.

It gave her courage to continue.

"I understand that it was extremely selfish. Why would I do that, when I had four best friends who would always listen to me regardless of whatever topic I would want to discuss? Of course, I didn't want to hurt you all and of course I desperately hoped I would be able to solve it all by myself. The truth is, I was merely afraid. If I had done that, I would have felt so vulnerable. It meant having to accept a reality that would never play itself out."

Ulrich was gently holding her closer to him.

"We had a deal, Ulrich. Good friends, that's it. However, I wanted to be able to break that agreement more than anything else. Each time I envied someone else or was jealous of someone else, I stopped myself. Or I should say, I stopped myself from considering it. Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was never going to happen and I just.. gave up. You were never going to go back on your word and I hated, yet loved, that you were being so mindful of me. It created such a whirlwind of emotions in me, especially at certain points in the past. It was a turmoil I couldn't escape from at the time. It led to a stupid decision and I came to regret it almost immediately afterwards."

"But I lived through it. It was my decision after all. I really tried to move on, calm myself, give William a chance. I couldn't do it. The memories were haunting me, the pain was constricting me, the guilt was gnawing at me. Distractions can only do so much, Ulrich. I was miserable in secret. William was understanding, but it wasn't enough because he had his own wishes. We were never as close as you guys were with me. I was really disappointed, in myself, in my life. There was even a period I was intensely hating myself, to the point of almost breaking down again."

She wanted to cry, then felt like that wasn't going to be of any use and steeled herself. "And then, you returned. No, I should rephrase that. We met again. I was so surprised. It was one of those moments where you'd want to pinch yourself to see if you weren't dreaming. The shock was enough though, so I didn't do that. One of the first things that came to mind while you were standing there in front of the desk was 'I'm sorry', combined with 'will there be a chance to make it up to him?'. Honestly, it's still hard to believe how easily we had fallen back to being such good friends. I had missed that comfort more than I was willing to admit. Next to that, I'm so glad that I was able to meet all of you again. I am thankful, because all of that caused me to think again on what I've been doing with my life. To see the better perspectives, the ones that could get me on the right track. I feel sorry for William, but I had to make the truly better choice for myself this time. And it makes me happy, to know that my severe stupidity is being forgiven by the people who are my only true friends."

Yumi was quiet again, giving Ulrich time to process her story. "You're right about the 'being forgiven' part," he eventually said. "Most of me doesn't want to blame you for anything that happened. There is a small part of me that does though. Like you said, there were many others you could confide in, but you chose _him_. That alone was a painful thing to deal with. Moreover, all those unanswered questions you left us with. Left _me_ with," he sighed.

"It will probably take me a while before I'll be able to fully accept everything, Yumi." She looked at him and straightened herself, lifting her head from his shoulder. "I'm not angry, nor am I disappointed. Just a little sad and lost, I guess. I feel responsible for this outcome as well and it has been bugging me for a long time. Why did it have to come to his?" The question was not directed at her.

"I don't know," Yumi whispered, more to herself than to him.

"Yumi, Ulrich, can you hear me?" They heard Jeremie's voice again.

"Jeremie!" The two of them exclaimed.

"We've managed to put a hold on the bug that caused your hologram like state. I'll program weapons, so you can devirtualize each other immediately," Jeremie explained.

"It is very likely you won't have much time before it starts again. Please be as quick as you can," Aelita warned them.

"Okay," they both answered. Several seconds later two swords appeared before them. Yumi picked up the left one, Ulrich the right.

"Ready?" He asked her. She nodded. Ulrich did the counting and they hit each other on three once more.

"They've been successfully logged out from this session," Jeremie notified the other two in the lab.

"That's great Einstein!" Odd shouted.

* * *

Once everyone had gathered together in the lab, the atmosphere was tense. "How did this happen?" Yumi asked, her tone a little harsher than intended. "Someone accessed the network our devices are connected to and hacked into the game," Aelita stated. Jeremie shook his head. "I don't understand this at all. There is only one way to bypass our security systems. And that is if you've already manipulated something from within," he explained.

"Which means?" Ulrich inquired after the details.

"Either the computers or the devices have been sabotaged," Aelita answered. "But it cannot have been the computers, because they go through a weekly check-up to keep security intact. The most recent one was yesterday. We are always present when it happens, in case somebody does something weird. We also looked into the game's programming. Nothing is wrong with it. That only leaves these newly developed devices," she gestured towards the frisbee-like electronics.

"Doesn't that mean there is a spy in your company?" Odd asked.

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as to call the culprit a spy," Aelita said.

"But that's exactly what it is. At least, I think so. Someone from the previous company? A rival company?" Odd said. "You have to think along those lines, if you want to prevent further intervention."

Ulrich nodded in agreement. "Was it only possible to create this disturbance while the game was active? If so, was it only possible because we used the testing devices instead of personal ones?" He provided them with another important point to take into consideration.

"I also have another question," Yumi announced. "Why would the culprit choose this precise moment to reveal his or her plans? It would make more sense to act when the game is officially released, right?"

Jeremie and Aelita were deep in thought. "They are all valid points guys," Jeremie started. "Yumi certainly has a good point. We have ran several test runs before we decided to have this final test, where _all_ the basic functions are working and present. Nothing happened then. These devices performed just fine. We have constantly used the same five devices."

Aelita cut in. "Except for the one Ulrich used." They all looked at the seemingly innocent gadget on the desk. "What are you talking about Aelita?" Jeremie sounded a little annoyed. "I switched in the one Ulrich used yesterday, because the other one had water spilled on it. That one has had its reusable parts removed and the remainder has been thrown away," Aelita nervously replied.

"Who handed you this one?" Ulrich asked as he picked up the device he used. "Our newest recruit," Aelita recalled the events of the day. "I had asked him to hand me a new device. But he couldn't possibly have sabotaged it. All electronics are kept in lockers. Only Jeremie, a few others and I have the key card that can unlock them. I was there when he took it out," she told them.

"So, your newest recruit is out to get you then," Odd claimed. "Call him over. We'll make him speak up," he said, punching his right palm with his left fist.

"No, I ran a test out of precaution. I entered the game myself and it ran normally," Aelita shook her head. "I just told you the story, because they haven't all been in constant use."

Jeremie sighed. "I should have tracked the location. The hacker probably knows we're onto the problem at hand, since we debugged the hologram issue. Therefore it's useless to try it again."

"That might not necessarily be the case Jeremie," Aelita tried to analyse further. "The hologram bug was caused by a virus which the hacker was only able to plant through the network. I think it was a one-way street for him. We wouldn't have been able to take control otherwise. The main problem is, which device has been triggered and how?"

"In other words, we can only find out if we play again?" Yumi didn't like that.

But the two geniuses confirmed her question with the grim expression on their faces. "Isn't there another way? Now that it's like this, it's obviously not safe anymore," Yumi shook her head. "I'm afraid of the consequences."

"We are as well, Yumi," Aelita said.

"Let's go through with this," Ulrich spoke up again. "Do we need to test all five of them?"

"That won't be necessary. Only the three you have used, will suffice," Jeremie replied, while getting ready for the trial. "I'll make sure you won't be in hologram mode, if you guys make sure to survive," he told them.

"Wait!" Yumi exclaimed. "Ulrich and I got stung by two of those mutated monsters. That must have caused us to be holograms in the first place," she remembered.

"That's right," Ulrich agreed.

"Okay, I'll still be keeping an eye out for it, because it doesn't mean it cannot be activated using a different tactic. Just in case, be sure not to get hit…," he warned them.

"Easy for you to say, Einstein!" Odd found it incredulous. "Are we all going?" He asked.

"For now, let's have Yumi and Ulrich play," Aelita looked apologetically at them.

"It's okay. It did happen when we were still there after all," Yumi glared at Ulrich. He caught her glare. "Hey, I had no way of knowing _this_ would happen!" She crossed her arms.

The others were worried. "Don't kill each other in this process huh," Odd warned them. He tried to joke but got two glares in return.

"Let's not delay this. The hacker might think we've gone home for the day. Get ready guys," Jeremie ordered.

Yumi and Ulrich went in-game again and were waiting to see if anything would happen. "Look, Yumi. I'm sorry. Are you angry?" He asked. "No, I'm worried. I know it's not your fault," Yumi replied. He stared at her for a few seconds. "Don't worry, I'll have your back," he assured her. "Okay." She smiled at him and he smiled back.

After fifteen minutes of fighting off monsters, Jeremie's voice jumped in.

"Guys! I've got it!"

* * *

**A/N: Yay for cliffhangers :)! See you next time ~**


	30. Chapter 26: The Reason

**A/N: *Yawn*. It's impossibly late for me.. I just.. sorry for errors xD! I need sleep now. This one's more JxA centered, but we'll just give Yumi and Ulrich a small break. Enjoy the read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

"Jeremie, could you please dematerialize us first?" Yumi asked.

"I would readily take you out of the current game, but the virus can be tackled from within. I'll be opening up the coded version of the game. Everything around you will turn blue, much like sector 5. If you can beat the monsters that aren't supposed to be there, I think it'll expose the virus in the disks' coding. Actually, all monsters that you can see are your enemies, because I'll be switching off the spawns of the normal ones," Jeremie explained.

"Okay," Ulrich and Yumi replied.

The two of them got to work and swiftly handled the given task until they heard Jeremie speak up again. "That'll do just fine, I tracked the virus back to the original location. My suspicions have been confirmed. I'll dematerialize you and then we'll talk," he said, an audible annoyance was present in his voice.

Yumi and Ulrich looked concerned, but couldn't say anything with Jeremie being able to hear it. Ulrich shrugged. "Well, see you soon," he told her as they were called in by Jeremie at the same time.

When they returned to the lab, Aelita and Jeremie weren't talking to each other. Odd was casually sitting on the floor, trying not to mind them. "So, what was the problem?" Yumi carefully asked.

"Apparently, someone found it funny to sabotage her own work," Jeremie began, glaring daggers at Aelita.

Odd, Ulrich and Yumi eyed each other. The latter continued, "I don't understand. Why would Aelita do something like that?" The others nodded in agreement to Yumi's question.

"I already thought it was strange when you revealed you got our newest recruit to retrieve a new disk. That's absolutely nonsense, since we don't let those workers anywhere near the lockers. She actually claimed to have been there, so why bother requesting it in the first place?" Jeremie spoke to no one in particular.

"Princess, care to explain?" Odd tried to pave a way to give Aelita a chance to defend herself. She stood on the other side of the room with a neutral expression on her face.

"Jeremie, will you at least listen to me for a few minutes?" Aelita finally asked.

"Sorry I'm not in the mood now. Try to imagine what it feels like when you find out your partner is purposefully delaying our release. If _I _hadn't found out, the entire game could have been ruined. _I'd _have to start over from scratch. What were you thinking, Aelita? And that's not even all. You actually planted the virus from within this computer. Honestly, I cannot believe this… You were obviously dead set on withholding this information," he turned away from the pinkette and shut down the computer.

"Let's go outside for some fresh air princess," Odd took her by the hand and dragged her away. He stopped in front of the room's exit. "Jeremie, I am a hundred percent sure that Aelita wouldn't have let this escalate as far as you are willing to expect. I thought you trusted her more than this." Odd could almost feel Aelita's sadness. He quickly pulled her along to allow Jeremie to cool down. It was a precaution. He didn't want them to verbally hurt each other further than this.

Yumi sighed. "Jeremie," she began. When he didn't respond or look her way she sighed again. "Look, I'm positive Aelita has her reasons for this. It's true the timing wasn't the best. I get that it caused trouble. But hearing you talk just now, I have a feeling I understand Aelita. It's rather hard to explain, so I'm going to bluntly point it out for you," Yumi sudden disapproval of her friend made him pay attention.

"You have always praised Aelita for her good work, right? You were being modest too when we told you how amazing you were. However, I have one word for you now. 'Arrogance'. That's the vibe I got from you last little speech. I don't know how long this has been on Aelita's mind, but it's clear that using this extreme method was the only way to get your attention."

She gathered her stuff. "Things might seem harmless on the surface. But if you flip it around, there is always chaos. Trust me, I know more about it than I would've wanted," she glanced at Ulrich, who didn't meet her gaze.

"I'll be going home now. Hiroki said he'll be staying over this weekend, because he has to go to some extracurricular activity on Monday. I still have to prepare a few things. I hope you can sort it all out Jeremie. Sorry if I went too far. What I saw and deduced might also be less heavy in reality. Talk to Aelita as soon as you can," Yumi advised, as she headed for the door.

"Wait, I'll take you home," Ulrich stopped her. "Thanks," she replied, as they walked out. "Einstein, Aelita probably wanted to keep it a secret for a reason too. You guys are so close. Please show us it's not easy to break us apart," Ulrich said, before he closed the door. He kept his eyes as well as his thoughts on Yumi as he followed her to the building's exit. "_For her sake too,_" he thought when he saw Yumi hugging herself with one arm.

Jeremie let his head fall onto the desk. "They're right…," he whispered to himself, closing his eyes to let it all sink in.

_"Hey Jeremie, our new recruits have studied coding from another game and they've found some issues within the security. I know we have already run many tests, but I wanted to take this perspective into consideration as well. It will be our biggest project since taking over this company, so we don't want anything to fail, right?" Aelita had stepped into his office to bring him a cup of coffee._

_He hadn't been sleeping well and was frustrated with all the work that had piled up while he was busy fixing things in different departments. "Thanks," he accepted the drink, "However, I can state with certainty that our software and hardware are in tip-top condition. You've admitted it too. We have run the security check countless times. I really don't think we should trust a beginner's insight in this highly advanced programming," Jeremie countered._

_Aelita frowned. "I'm aware that you want to lead this project, which is fine. But as the CEO of this company and basically manager of each department, shouldn't you also listen to others. We've been together for many years now and I agree that we excel in what we do. However, we also have standard routines that are hard to break out of. We hired the new employees for that very reason right? Fresh insights and creative influx for example. There are a few workers that have caught my eye already. I can introduce them if you'd like. They're the ones who inspired me to check one more thing. Let's give them a chance to explain their thoughts on it," she reasoned._

_"I'm telling you it's fine like this. We should focus on lessening this workload. It's our priority now. The game is pretty much finished and ready for release. The team that's handling it will do just fine without our constant supervising. Please, if you could assign the new recruits other tasks – for instance from this pile – then it would be great," Jeremie insisted._

_"Sure, I will. But in my opinion you should be careful with that attitude Jeremie. We're always open towards innovative ideas. Part of that involves taking _all_ possible issues into consideration," Aelita warned him. She looked at a few files. "I think these four files are good starting points for them, so I'll be handing them out. I hope you change your mind. Although, of course, I won't force you," she told him as she smiled mysteriously afterwards._

_Aelita whispered on her way out. "He'll never stop being stubborn." Jeremie didn't hear the words. He figured she was most likely grumbling about his behaviour, so he let it go._

"Jeremie?" Aelita shook him. "Wake up. It's getting late. We should go," she told him. He rubbed his eyes. "Hmm? How long did I sleep?" She chuckled. "About fifteen minutes I guess? That's more a nap that real sleep though," she answered.

He stared at her. "What?" Aelita asked. "Nothing, just.. I'm sorry," he started. "It's okay, I haven't been honest with you. It really broke my heart, but I couldn't think of any other way to make you realize how serious the problem was," she fidgeted with her fingers. "And! I never meant to let it get this far! Getting Yumi, Ulrich and Odd involved was really unnecessary and confusing for them. Even if Yumi and Ulrich probably had a good talk judging from the atmosphere between them. But that's deviating from the topic. I'm truly sorry."

She stood there painfully watching him. Jeremie got up and approached her. He took her hands in his and held on tightly. "I was shocked. For a small period of time I actually believed you betrayed me. When they all threw remarks at my head, I realized I was the one being stupid. Of course, you would have a proper reason for doing something so – if I may say – ridiculous." Aelita chuckled again. "Though what Yumi said, hit hardest. Maybe I was too proud of the fact that this was solely our idea and I had wanted it to be ours only," Jeremie blushed after revealing that.

"That aside, I indeed have difficulty with not doing everything by myself. But that doesn't mean that I can do it all. You're right about that and I should have noticed that earlier on. I'm really sorry, Aelita," he said.

Aelita hugged him. "Apology accepted," he heard her say. "Luckily I did it in a clumsy way. Otherwise you'd have a much harder time figuring everything out," she teased him. Jeremie laughed. "I know, you're amazing too after all," he complimented her as well as himself. Aelita giggled.

"Let's have a strategy meeting somewhere this week. Invite the rookies too. I'm interested after what you told me – and after what you did," Jeremie said.

"Okay, I'll schedule it for Wednesday. Everyone should be present then," she agreed.

"Good. Shall I take you home then?" He offered. Aelita nodded. She was about to get her bag and coat when Jeremie pulled her back.

"I trust you more than anyone. I'm sorry for doubting you, even if it wasn't for long."

"I know. I don't blame you. We'll get through it all. Don't worry too much or you'll end up like me." She grinned at him.

Jeremie moved in close enough to capture her lips for a split second. "Very funny. You could have become an actress with the top-notch acting you showed," he told her afterwards. Aelita blushed.

They got distracted by the vibrating noises of their phones.

**Wait, so who won the mini competition between the three of us? **Odd asked in the group chat.

**Oh, yeah, I'm curious as well. **Yumi entered.

**Don't forget to reveal who you guys voted for. **Ulrich reminded them.

Aelita smiled. "Odd won't be happy with this."

"He can't really do anything about it," Jeremie had gather all the belongings and together they walked outside. "Just let him know he needs to save up some money." He smirked. Aelita laughed. "I will."

**Odd, I hereby advice you to financially prepare yourself for our next dinner outing (since we didn't go today). **Aelita typed.

**Hahahahahahahahaha. Not bragging anymore huh? **Ulrich mocked Odd.

**I want Italian. **Yumi joined the fun.

**By the way, you're on your own. Jeremie voted for Ulrich and I voted for Yumi. I'll send you proof of the votes. **Aelita revealed. She also posted a photo of the pieces of paper with names scribbled on them.

**This was a conspiracy! I demand a rematch! See you around!** Odd left the chat with that message.

**I'll be looking forward to that dinner then. **Ulrich left him a message.

Yumi didn't say anything else. Aelita put away her phone as well.

"Ready?" Jeremie asked. Aelita looked at him. "Yep, let's go home," she said as she reached for him to hold his hand. He gently clasped his hand over hers. Valuable lessons like today's would only help them along their way. They were sure their relationship was going to keep improving day by day.

* * *

**A/N: I was so tired that I almost named this chapter 27.. luckily I double checked haha. Okay, so chapter 30 is getting closer and I'm feeling generous (yes, in advance). I hereby announce there will be two bonus chapters after chapter 30. One for the usual (once per ten ch.), one to have fun. Is there anyone in particular you guys would like to read about in the second one? Let me know and I'll take it into consideration! ~ See you later!**


	31. Chapter 27: Disturbance

**A/N: Enjoy the read :D!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi and Ulrich were back at work. The project was nearing its end, with the results being fine-tuned. Odd's presence was no longer required since he had finished his parts. The model he had created was to the client's wishes. Ulrich was satisfied with how it had all come along.

But there were a few other problems that needed to be solved before the end of the week.

"Emily, can you help us for a few minutes?" Ulrich was talking on the phone. He was standing beside Emily's trainee, who was currently having trouble fixing a bug in the code of their application's latest version. It was scheduled to go live next week. The trainee's insecurity wasn't speeding up the process and Ulrich finally called in his mentor for help.

"She's coming down now," Ulrich told him. The trainee, Jamie, reminded Ulrich of a smaller Jeremie. Only this one had black hair and clearly wasn't a genius. Next to that, his practically non-existent self-confidence drove Emily crazy now and then. When it was present, it was mostly based on nothing.

"What's the matter, Jamie?" Emily suddenly appeared behind them, looking very annoyed at the fact that she had to put on hold whatever she was working on. Jamie pointed at his screen. Ulrich cast a look in Emily's direction. Her hair was tied into a high bun today. That combined with the obvious displeased look had Ulrich – although not much – sympathize with the younger employee.

Jamie had applied for the traineeship to fill in the slot of the large practical course students like him had to follow in order to get full credits for the year. Emily had warned him it wasn't going to be easy and he had claimed it to be no problem.

"I believe the application should have been finished already. I thought all was fixed. You know that we cannot develop any 3D-models without the program, right? Our back up program doesn't provide us with the advanced functions we are used to," Emily harshly reprimanded him.

"Yes, I'm sorry. I accidentally reset the code of the version to one before the final one. I didn't know how to put it back, so I have been trying to fix the errors we had listed," Jamie showed her the list on the screen. "It proved a little harder than expected, so if you could please give me a few pointers, I am positive it will work out," he finished speaking and went back to his timid mode.

"I'm glad you're this optimistic, because I don't have the time to help you out. I cannot afford to alter my schedule to make way for something that was already finished. I'll mail you a few commands and starting points you should look into. Please, don't do this again," she said.

Emily then walked out of the main office in silence, without waiting for an answer.

"She sure changed a lot," Ulrich grumbled. He noticed Jamie was trembling a little. "Don't let her intimidate you. If you wouldn't be capable, she would have had you replaced. I agree with her final statement though. Don't do this again. Mistakes are fine, but grave ones like this are too risky. We can't permit them," Ulrich warned him. "Don't forget to take a break," he told him.

Ulrich returned to his office, left his door open and went to check his e-mail. Emily had already notified him that she had the final version of the application complete with its coding saved in her personal files. She was going to let Jamie figure things out. That way, he could practice more.

He smiled. At least the team leaders could handle themselves most of the time.

"Ulrich," Yumi knocked on his door. She always did regardless of whether it was opened or not. "Odd called to ask if he has to come for the final presentation on the first of March," she relayed their friend's message. "He said you were busy on the phone."

He checked his phone. "That was around the time I called Emily," he looked up, "Tell him he needs to be around to brag about his work," Ulrich dismissed her and started to ready himself for his next appointment.

Yumi sighed as she closed the door. She understood he needed time, but the strange distance between them felt awkward. It was hard to act normal. "Just be patient, Yumi," she whispered to herself. In fact, she knew Ulrich had hardly any time to chat with anyone. She had memorized his schedule, so she was aware of how busy he had been the past few weeks. "Let's just hope he doesn't forget the paper work." She had set her mind to focus on business again.

* * *

The remaining time of the day was spent idling around. Yumi had already organized everything. There wasn't much to do, except for calling Odd. Ulrich's agenda was full and he would be preoccupied for the entire week. She wasn't needed for all his appointments. She had sorted out the new files. Those were only awaiting Ulrich's approval (or the opposite if he didn't agree). Nobody phoned their office. But that was probably because everyone had been scheduled in already.

Yumi was simply bored out of her mind. "I guess I'll study after giving Odd a call," she told herself. She rummaged in her bag to discover that she had left her notebook at home. She sighed again.

A knock on the door startled her out of her boredom, at least temporarily. "Come in," she said, trying to sound busy.

"Hey, Yumi. Is Ulrich in?" Emily stepped inside.

"No, he is out. Do you need anything?" She asked.

"Not really. Just wanted to ask him if he wanted to go for lunch with some others tomorrow. His advice got our team on the right track and we were able to finish a project that was going downhill at first. We wanted to thank him," Emily explained, while looking around as if she hadn't been there a thousand times before.

"According to his agenda, he should be free around that time. But knowing Ulrich, he'll probably buy lunch and eat it on the way to the next place," she informed her with a little more detail than intended.

"I guess that's that then, _if you say so_," Emily's statement seemed innocent, but Yumi fished out another meaning. "_Don't fall for it,_" she thought.

"You know, you could try _calling _him," she suggested, using a sarcastic undertone.

"I tried, it's switched off," Emily responded. Yumi knew that was a lie. If there was anything Ulrich would never do, it was letting his phone's battery run out. Especially when he was out of office.

"Oh, that's too bad. Is there anything else?" Yumi asked, wondering about Emily's advances. She wasn't going to offer to notify Ulrich.

"Well… I'm not all too concerned about this, but I've heard the rumours from the others. They're still saying you're coming across as someone who got close to Ulrich for the job. And that you're keeping up a pretence of wanting to do well for the company, while nobody knows what you're really doing behind the scenes. I figured it wasn't my place to say anything, but I can if you want me to. I mean, I have more background information than the others, so I can help you shut down nuisances for you," Emily revealed.

Yumi hadn't really given the dissatisfaction of the other employees much thought anymore with everything that had passed. Of course, the amount of workers that openly hated on her had decreased drastically. However, the whispers and glances had made work a much less comfortable environment to be in. Despite Ulrich's efforts to keep everything under control, she knew it was worse than before.

"It's okay. I'm not bothered by it. Besides, I think the source of the rumours might have been someone who had "more background information" in the first place," Yumi hid her accusation by using air quotes. Emily blinked twice. "That might have been the case." She adjusted her glasses after trailing off with the empty words.

"Yes, so, please refrain from doing anything _unnecessary_," Yumi said, thinking the last word as addition to her sentence. "Got it," Emily said, walking out of the office. Yumi never had considered Emily a troublemaker. Although it looked like it was time to change her view on the woman.

"Time to inform Odd," she told herself as she got out her phone.

"Hey Yumi," she was greeted by Odd's usual energetic voice.

"Odd, Ulrich wants you at the showcase next week's Tuesday," Yumi got straight to the point.

"Oh, well that was to be expected," Odd said.

"Huh, yes it was," Yumi said, a little surprised by his mild reaction. "He could've told you himself, but he's a busy man this week," she grumbled. Odd was laughing.

"What? Doesn't he give you enough attention?" He teased her.

"No, I mean, I have plenty to do each day, but he still needs to approve of pretty much everything. And if he doesn't make time for that, I'm going to have a lot of people who come to ask for progress. Which means they're plainly going to complain until my head explodes," she fussed, doodling on a post-it in the meantime.

"Sounds rough. Should I relay the message? Something along the lines of 'hey Yumi's going to kill you if you don't do your work'?" Odd asked, snickering afterwards.

"Very funny, but I'm sure he is aware of the problems it'll create if he doesn't," she told him.

"You hear that Ulrich? The lady is troubled by your absence," Odd said as laughed out loud again.

"ODD! Is Ulrich there? Is the phone on speaker mode? Argh," she quickly hung up.

Yumi felt her face heating up. How was she supposed to know that Ulrich was wherever Odd was? Her phone rang a few seconds later. It was Odd again. She hadn't really cooled down from her embarrassing moment, so she ignored the call. Her phone continued to ring and she wondered why it took so long to stop. "What?" She eventually answered.

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm strangling Odd now," a voice responded.

"Ulrich," she breathed out. "Sorry, I didn't want to sound stingy. I'm only worried about the work that's piling up… literally," she said as she looked at the desk in the corner of her office.

"Don't worry. I'll be at the office tomorrow. A client called to request the appointment to be moved and I finished not long ago. I have been at Odd's for about ten minutes now," he said.

"Okay," she cheered up. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

She heard him chuckle. "See you."

"Oh, wait, why are you calling with Odd's phone?" She asked, thinking about Emily's remarks.

"Because I was in a hurry to call you back," Ulrich replied. He coughed once. "Ahem, well, mine is in my jacket in the hallway."

She stifled her laughter. "Well, don't kill Odd. Bye," she said, hanging up after hearing him say he'll try not to.

The phone conversation had lifted Yumi's spirits. She eyed the time on her screen. "One more hour," she confirmed. "Time for the final rounds."

* * *

Like promised, Ulrich was present at the office the next morning. However, not in his own office. Yumi tapped her fingers on the desk. He had messaged her that among everyone that needed his help Emily and Jamie were taking up a lot of time. Apparently Emily's trainee hadn't managed and he was not hearing the end of it.

"I'm back," Ulrich announced as he stepped inside. He was tired. "Next time, warn me please. Don't these people know how to type an e-mail? Or call? Even a letter with explanation would be fine. Unbelievable… just after I admitted that they could handle themselves," he whined.

"You're not off the hook yet," she walked over to him and pointed at the desk where she had organized all the files. "About thirty of them," she said. "Believe me, I know, because I counted them over and over out of boredom."

"Heh," Ulrich smiled. "Let me get some coffee." He turned around to open the door again, but Yumi held him back by putting her hand on the door.

"No, you'll be called away again if you're spotted. I'm sure. So you stay and I'll go," she ordered.

He smiled. "Go ahead."

Ulrich was about to let her pass when the door opened. It caused Yumi to stumble right into Ulrich who caught her while his back hit the wall. Yumi immediately looked up to see his face, but Ulrich didn't show any signs of pain. "Are you okay?" He whispered. "Yes, thanks," she softly replied. He steadied her with both hands. But the seconds of his touch felt like minutes with the sudden tingling feeling that travelled through her body. Yumi blushed and thanked her luck for not being the one that faced the door. Ulrich on the other hand urged himself to keep his expression neutral. "Unfair," he whispered. Yumi didn't hear it, being too busy with extinguishing herself.

"Uhm, excuse me. I didn't know Yumi was behind the door," Emily poked her head through the opening to check if everything was alright.

"It's alright," Ulrich assured her. "Can _we_ help you?" He had retracted his hands already and was now standing next to Yumi.

"My team and I wanted to invite you to lunch as a thank you for helping us out the other day. Are you available?"

Yumi withheld herself from making a stupid comment. Emily must have found out that Ulrich's appointment after lunch was cancelled. Unknowingly, she was clenching her fists. Emily didn't notice, but Ulrich did.

"Sorry, I've got a pile of work to go through. Yumi will be helping me. _We_ can't go," Ulrich rejected the invitation.

Yumi faced the windows to hide her smile. Apparently she had been worried for nothing. Both of them were a team and it seemed neither of them thought otherwise.

"Are you absolutely sure? We're going to that café that you once mentioned," Emily tried to tempt him into coming, not fully comprehending that Ulrich was speaking for Yumi and himself.

"Yep, but do have fun. The food is really good," he told her, practically chasing her out with words.

"Okay, good luck with the workload," Emily said and closed the door. Yumi went back to her desk.

"You really don't know how to keep a poker face huh," Ulrich commented after enough time had passed for Emily to walk away.

"That really depends on the persons and situation, you know," Yumi crossed her arms. "Thanks for turning it down," she smiled. "_And for including me_." Her afterthought had her lost in thought for a few moments.

"No problem, I did promise after all. And I don't feel like spending such a casual time with them. If I go there, I'd rather eat in peace," Ulrich said, while approaching Yumi's desk. They were standing across from one another now.

"Is it the one you took me to?" Yumi questioned him. "Yes," he answered. "I don't go there with just anyone though." He stared at her. Yumi didn't know where to look and was fidgeting with her doodle post-it.

"Let's go there next weekend," he said.

The suggestion came so unexpected that she dropped her post-it. He picked it up and saw she had drawn a rose in every corner. Ulrich took the pen on her desk and started drawing a fan and a sword. "Ah, not as pretty as the roses," he admitted. "Will you come with me then?" He asked, handing it back to her.

Yumi couldn't figure out whether the symbolism meant more than just a reference to their time as Lyoko warriors. She nodded. "Yes." Ulrich was relieved to hear her positive reply.

Both of them got back to work afterwards, but they were equally excited for that day that they should be calling a date.

* * *

**A/N: See you next time! Note, 'you' can be used as singular and plural, so I decided to have a mind game of my own. Keep in mind that the bonus chapters are (far away but) incoming, so let me know in advance if you want to see someone in the second bonus chapter (after ch. 30!).**


	32. Chapter 28: Feeling Down

**A/N: Enjoy the read! Thanks for the reviews :)!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi was working at her desk. She was typing up the last report for the finished project. Yesterday Ulrich, Yumi and Odd had held the final presentation, successfully ending the first big project of the year. When she was done, she e-mailed the document to the whole team.

A knock on the office door diverted her attention from her screen. "Come in," she called out. Originally she had thought it to be one person, but when she paid closer attention she noticed two people behind the first one. "How can I help you?" She politely asked, not recognizing the first person. Jamie and another of the younger employees stood behind him. "I was looking for Miss Yumi Ishiyama," he told her.

"That's me," she informed him, slightly amazed that he would still ask that when their names were situated in small slide-in placards next to the door.

"I'm the counsellor of his company. My tasks include listening to people, talking to people, solving confrontations between people. Anything and all related to people. My newest clients wish to speak to you, but they dare not do it alone. So I offered to be a mediator. Do you happen to have a few minutes for us? Depending on the outcome, it won't take long," the counsellor explained, checking his watch with impatience. He was dressed in a black suit, wearing a red tie and carrying a brown business suitcase. Your stereotypical office guy. It seemed he had somewhere to be.

"Well, that's fine. I do have some free time now," Yumi agreed, not wanting to give them the image of her lazing around. The counsellor entered the room, but the others stayed outside. "Aren't they going to come in?" She asked him. He shook his head. "I did advise them to, but is not in my rights to force them." Yumi stared at him and at the duo outside. "This conversation will not fare well if they won't at least stand inside the office. If we're going to discuss private matters, I want those to stay within this room," she wished. He turned around. "I'm afraid Miss Ishiyama has a point. Could I ask you to step inside?" The duo hesitated, but obeyed nonetheless and remained silent without making any eye contact with Yumi.

"I will be referring myself together with my clients as I speak. Do take note that this does not entail my personal opinion. Please consider it as part of my job," the counsellor, Ren, said. Yumi nodded in understanding. "My clients and I have come to discuss your attitude at work," Ren began. "According to us, you act unusually arrogant, pretend to be the leader and have an exasperating amount of enthusiasm for your work that isn't considered normal," he eyed her for a reaction, but Yumi was capable of hiding her discomfort.

"The lack of Mr. Stern's presence might have made you think you were allowed to take over his position, but you are merely a secretary in the eyes of many others. My clients and I want you to understand that it requires a lot of patience and endurance to stop ourselves from letting it escalate in a fiery discussion in front of others. You are always quick to point out someone's mistakes, which is fine in some sense since we learn from that. However, the way you approach us shows us that you think you know better than most of us. That in itself is very degrading and in our opinion unacceptable. After having heard this, we hope you will be able to take into account how others perceive the message as you bring it across," Ren ended his speech.

"May I ask if this is your personal opinion or have you received orders from your mentors?" Yumi asked Jamie and the girl that stood next to him. They looked at Ren in desperation, refusing to speak up. Ren wanted to answer for them. "My apologies sir, but I want them to honestly tell me. Do you both have a problem with me personally? Or do you have a problem with me because of another issue in the office?" She stood her ground.

It was Jamie who decided to open his mouth. "Uhm, we're rather new and in our eyes you act like you're our boss, while we both have our own mentor. On top of that, Ulrich is our actual boss and we only listen to one person. I don't see why you approach us the way you do, but we consider that hostile. I also don't know whether you've been told this before," he saw Yumi shake her head, "but we experience it that way."

"I have never thought of it as reprimanding you nor was it my intention to hurt you. My goal is having a team that has great coordination and teamwork. I strive to reach those goals. Whether I come across as a workaholic or not doesn't change the fact that I'm merely doing my job. I don't care what kind of job it is. I always give 100% if not 200%. You cannot demand that I change my ways to suit your tastes at work," Yumi told them off, but didn't alter her tone or voice. She kept it neutral.

The girl joined in. "There are also many moments when we want to talk to Ulrich about certain problems, but we don't dare to enter this office because of possible confrontations with you," she claimed. "That's a personal issue they have, isn't it? Work related matters are almost always communicated to Ulrich via me. Nobody has voiced their problems with me, so I have no way to know about them. If people have a problem with me, they should come and talk to me personally. Other than that, I will keep working hard to help keep us on the right track," Yumi defended herself again.

"I hope you aren't angry or disappointed with me. I'm only an employee in this company and I would like to get along with my colleagues. Please understand that I hold nothing against you personally. I'm just trying to help. It would make me happy if you can see it that way from now on. You're wonderful workers who are making a fresh start at this company and I'm proud you're part of our team. Okay?"

The two of them nodded in sync. Then everyone looked at Ren. "It appears to be that I wasn't needed today," he said. "Thank you for your time. Have a nice day." Ren quickly left the office with Jamie and the girl in tow. Yumi figured he must be a busy person.

Despite her efforts to be cool about it, there was a sudden weight on her shoulders that she wished would disappear. Was she really arrogant? Were her methods wrong? She was starting to doubt herself more and more as time passed after the conversation. Yumi wanted to continue working, but her mind wasn't following.

* * *

Ulrich returned to the office after meeting a client outside. "I'm back," he told her as he headed straight for his office. Yumi didn't answer his greeting and stared at her screen, absent-mindedly moving her mouse left and right. "What's going on?" Ulrich asked her upon seeing her current state. "Hmm?" He pressed on, while bumping his knee against her chair. "It's nothing," she said, taking her post-it notepad in her hand. "Really?" Ulrich continued. He grabbed a pen from her holder and took away her post-its. "I don't think so," he commented, drawing a Tic-Tac-Toe table on the upper post-it. He marked the top left corner with an 'X'.

Yumi smiled. "Just feeling a little down," she said, marking the middle with 'O'. Ulrich looked at her. "Want to talk about it?" He offered. "Maybe later," she said. They finished the game, which ended in a tie. Yumi wrote the word 'Tie' next to the Tic-Tac-Toe table and Ulrich joked around by drawing a tie underneath the word. Yumi smiled again. "Very classy," she complimented him mockingly. "I know," he said.

"Just shout if you need me. I'll be right over," he carried on with the bad jokes and left when he saw her nod.

A few hours had passed when Ulrich went to check on Yumi again. "Have you managed with the reservations for that restaurant? Since we have a proper budget, we should take out the team. I did promise them after all," Ulrich said. "It worked out, but I think I'm going to pass this time," Yumi revealed. "Why? Is it because of what happened? It will be really bad if you don't come. Leaving me alone with all of them," he said, but it didn't cheer her up. "Hey, you were part of this project as much as myself or any other member of the team. So..," he was cut off by Yumi.

"You're the only one who thinks of it like that. Today, Jamie and another girl came to talk to me with help of the counsellor. I really didn't want to let it bother me. I wanted to focus," she pointed at her screen and papers on her desk, "I just couldn't do it." She looked at him and he saw her hopeless expression. "What happened?" He crouched down and put his arms on her desk to support himself. Yumi told him the full story while trying to sound unfazed, but her irritation and sadness were visible anyway. Ulrich put his hand over hers when she finished her story. He gave her time to calm down.

"In my opinion as your boss, I say it's good that they showed some kind of initiative to sort this out. If they wouldn't have done that, their issues would most likely have stayed underwater. That aside, I have no problems with your attitude or your performance. You work three times as hard as all of them. And I approve of the way you handle yourself, your work and the others. In my opinion as your friend, I don't think I have to give you confirmation for this. But if you need it, I will say it to take away your worries. You are not arrogant, but always work with pure intentions. You are who you are and no one can order you to change that. Not even me as your boss. I can't tell you not to let it get to you, but I ask of you to have positive thoughts. Things always get better right? It might take long, but everyone gets there. That's what they told me, when I nearly lost it," he scratched his head and she giggled. "Thank you," she said, getting up to get some water.

He smiled at her. "I placed the reservation for Friday 11 March at 7 PM," Yumi informed him after finishing her cup. "That should be fine. Most of them will be able to come, according to the poll we held. I'll let them know," Ulrich told her. He thought for a few seconds before continuing. "How did you commute to work today?" He asked. "By foot, since my tire is flat. It is a rather long walk. I didn't expect that, since it always takes me around seven minutes by bicycle," she grumbled.

Ulrich chuckled. "That's because you don't have any traffic lights." Yumi eyed him. "Why did you ask?" He got out his keys and walked to his office to lock the door. "If you don't have anywhere to be, do you want to go to Odd's house for a while? Just for fun. He called over the others too, but only Aelita can make it. It's his way of 'paying for dinner' as punishment for losing.. and bragging, I guess." Yumi frowned. "But he didn't mention it in the group chat or in a personal message," she trailed off to check her phone. "Oh, nevermind, apparently he did. I haven't checked my phone all day. Sorry," she started typing.

He observed her thinking face as she typed her message. Ulrich was amused. He got out his phone to read along. "I bet you didn't, with all that happened combined with the usual trance you fall into when you work," he teased her.

"Ha-ha," she said, not taking it seriously.

**I can make it too! Odd.. warn us a little earlier next time. Such short notice! **Yumi let her friends know.

**You're lucky I managed to shake her from her work mode. **Ulrich added.

Yumi crossed her arms. "That's not even true." She wasn't offended.

Ulrich shrugged. "Not today. Are you ready to go then?" Yumi punched him in his arm. "Yeah, sure, just had to release some stress," she joked around. "Yeah, yeah, that's fine," he rubbed his arm. "Ohh? Really?" She asked without expecting an answer. Yumi aimed for his other arm, but he caught her by her wrist. "I don't think so," he said, determined. Ulrich twisted her around and made her face away from him. His arms held her into place whilst her back was touching his chest. "Try escaping," he dared her. "No problem," she said, ready to stomp her foot on his with full force.

The attempt was unsuccessful as Ulrich avoided it, locking her right foot with his right from inside out. "I have another one," she warned. He was preparing to do the same with her left foot, but Yumi tried to shake herself off. "Woah, wait, that's not going to… AH!" Ulrich exclaimed. He went down, taking Yumi with him. They groaned. "That's my win," she claimed, while being vaguely aware that she was lying on top of him. However, Ulrich still hadn't loosened his grip on her. "Nope," he countered. "You can let go now, though," she realized they weren't in the best position.

"I probably should," he agreed, wasting no time in sitting them up. Yumi was now seated between his stretched out legs. "_He got stronger,_" she randomly thought as she hadn't put in any effort to sit up. "Well, let's go then," Ulrich pulled her up after standing up first. "Thanks," she said.

They left the office and walked to Ulrich's car. "Was that supposed to be a self-defence lesson?" She asked him. Ulrich shook his head. "No, I felt like it. Like good old times," he grinned at her. Yumi didn't know why, but she was surprised to hear that. "Yeah," she trailed off again, "like good old times." She smiled.

When they were in the car, they discussed what dishes Odd would cook for them. Yumi had already forgotten how down she had felt before. She glanced at Ulrich from the passenger's seat and back to the road in front of them. "_Is this the moment people wish for the ability to turn back time?"_ Yumi thought to herself, but shook her head afterwards. Time managed to mend their relationship to a more refined one. She was thankful that she could spend time with him like this, even with the amount of worries she had. So why should she wish for more?

* * *

**A/N: Next time might be a short chapter. I hope you won't mind with chapter 30 (a longer one) right around around the corner after this corner! I'm still taking main character suggestions for the second bonus chapter. This is your last chance :D! Thanks for reading.**


	33. Chapter 29: Awkward Encounter

**A/N: Hey! Next chapter has arrived. Stay safe, stick to the rules :)! I hope life goes back to 'normal' someday soon. Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!  
**

* * *

"Odd lives pretty far from here," Ulrich said as he started the car. "It's a 30 minute drive by car and 45 minutes by public transportation," he explained. Yumi nodded. "Kelly told me something like that," she said.

The two of them were quiet throughout the first half of the ride. Yumi put her elbow on the ledge against the window and leaned her head into her hand. She had her eyes closed as she recalled all the confrontations she had had thus far. "Are you still worried?" Ulrich asked, keeping his attention on the traffic around him.

"It's pretty difficult not to be," Yumi answered him. She sighed and repositioned herself to sit straight again. "I mean, I thought they were okay with me now, but I guess first impressions are hard to chase away. I can't believe people are the same in every phase of one's life. It's so stupid. The ratio between reasonable people and selfish people is always the same. The former one is always a minority. It's so tiring to live like this," she let out.

"You're right, it definitely isn't easy. In my family, excluding me, I only think of my uncle as a reasonable person," he revealed. "The director?" Yumi saw him nod. "What about your mother then?"

"She appears to be in my favour, but she is also my father's wife. I know my mother hates picking sides, but ever since I became independent enough she doesn't bother to stop my father from preaching me," Ulrich told her. He pressed down on the brake, which caused Yumi to focus on the road ahead.

"Looks like a traffic jam," he stated as he noticed the long line of cars in front of him. "In the middle of the city?" Yumi asked incredulous. "Well, everyone is trying to get home and certain routes are used more frequently, like this street..," he trailed off when he saw an officer approaching the window. Ulrich rolled it down.

"Hello sir," he was greeted politely by the police officer whose demeanour changed upon recognizing the person in front of him. "Hello," Ulrich replied curtly. Yumi leaned in to see why Ulrich had responded that way. Her eyes widened when she glimpsed at the officer outside. "William?" She whispered. "Aren't you still in training?" Ulrich asked him.

"They were short on staff. We're only allowed to explain the situation. Since I don't want to spend a lot of time doing so, I'll be quick," William hissed at them, being extremely annoyed at seeing them together in one car. "There are a few suspects on the loose and they were seen entering several cars that headed in this direction. Because that's the only tip we got, we're checking to see if the suspect or the stolen subject is present in one of the cars. Our research is not related to the traffic jam, which was caused by a large accident farther down the road at the big intersection. In any case that means you will be up for inspection soon. Do you have any questions? I hope you understand this is part of our procedures," William was serious.

Yumi shook her head and Ulrich replied. "No, thank you." William scoffed. "Looks like it didn't take long for you to get together," he whispered. Ulrich could hear it, while Yumi was oblivious. "Looks like you won't ever get over it," Ulrich spoke out loud. William glared at him. "Dunbar, did you finish?" He got called out. "Good day, sir," he said as he was verbally forced to move on.

Ulrich tried to stay calm, but Yumi felt his irritation. "Did he say anything?" She tried. However, the brunet was already in a foul mood. "Nothing," he wanted to stop her from asking further with his harsh tone. "Such a coincidence, but it seems he's well," she innocently stated, realizing too late what kind of statement that was. "Ah, I meant to say tha-," she was cut off. "Don't explain yourself," he ordered her.

"You're misunderstanding it again, I-," she couldn't finish.

"Again?! What do you mean by that?" He asked her, surprised by her claim.

She was flustered. "I mean, I didn't love him romantically, but I did care for him as a friend. Please don't be mad, I'm sorry for giving you the wrong idea," she apologized sadly.

Ulrich let out a sigh of frustration. "It's fine. I get it. I guess something inside me just flips when I see that guy. I'm starting to think it's impossible to let it go. I can't get around the fact that, _that_ guy was around for so long while he was clearly self-centered." He crossed his arms.

"Aren't we all?" Yumi asked.

"Not his level, no," he replied.

Yumi didn't comment any further. They simply waited for their turn.

"I'm sorry too," he said after five minutes had passed. Yumi gave him a grim smile and faced away from him afterwards. "Yumi, don't be like that," he pleaded.

"I can say that about you as well. It was my mistake to think you changed," she stabbed right through him.

"After all you've been through, that's what matters to you now? He just told me that it didn't take long for us to get together. Do you expect me to just accept the fact that he regarded you like that? The nerve he has to disrespect the one woman he was supposed to love like crazy, the one woman who gave him a chance despite her inner conflicts. It might have sounded as a simple sentence to you, a slip of the tongue maybe? But I know his other side better than you. That remark was meant to jab me and I let him succeed," he vented his frustration.

Yumi fell silent once more, instantly regretting her previous remark. "I said that out of spite just now," she carried on. "I admire the way you handle yourself and others now," she spoke truthfully. "The one who hasn't changed, is me. I also let the tension get the better of me. I should have been carefully thinking it through." Yumi looked at him.

"Talking like this," he began, "we should have done that from the beginning." Ulrich lightly caressed her cheek and wanted to continue speaking, but was interrupted by two knocks on his window.

"Sir, madam, we're here to inspect your car. Can you please step outside?" A female police officer asked them. They obliged and exited the car. A male police officer scanned their bodies with a portable scanning device. "Don't worry, we're only scanning you for everyone's safety," was the explanation.

"You're all good," the man said, happily clapping Yumi on her shoulder. The impact was so great that she staggered backwards. Ulrich reached out to steady her. "Sorry Madam," the man walked towards his female colleague to confirm the results. Afterwards, they were allowed to sit in their car again.

"This is going to take hours," Ulrich said. "I'll let the others know," Yumi took out her phone and started to write a message in the group chat.

**We're going to be late. Traffic jam. Plus police is inspecting cars. They're searching for suspects. **Yumi typed.

**Okay, keep us posted and stay safe. **Aelita responded, who then proceeded to individually let Yumi know that she had arrived at Odd's place.

"Aelita's already there," Yumi relayed the information. "Hopefully it won't take long for us to follow," Ulrich said.

An hour later they were still stuck in the traffic jam. Ulrich had turned on the radio to see if there was any local news that was reporting. "_The collision between ten cars and two trucks is presumed to have been caused by a flat tire of one of the vehicles involved. It has been confirmed that thus far all drivers and passengers are alive. Every person has been sent to the hospital. Five people are in critical condition. Roads leading towards the intersection have been closed off. The police is currently guiding everyone towards the detour routes.."_

"That's good. At least we'll get out of here before evening ends," Yumi said, after Ulrich had turned down the volume. She was starting to feel hungry. And Ulrich didn't feel much better.

Yumi's phone rang. "Aelita wants to video chat," she announced as she answered.

"Hi guys, how are you?" The pinkette greeted the duo.

"Hungry," Yumi commented. She heard her chuckle.

"Well, I get that. Odd, are you ready?" Aelita called out.

"Yeahh!" They all heard.

"What's he up to?" Ulrich asked, closing in to take a look at Yumi's phone.

She was taken aback by the sudden action and tried to ignore the intimacy it could imply. She watched the little square in the top corner that displayed the two of them. Ulrich appeared to be at ease, naturally joining the conversation. Then he caught her staring when he eyed the little screen, amused by her reaction. A whirlwind of feelings passed through her, but she held her composure and regarded what their friends wanted to show. "Guys! I present all of tonight's food!" Odd spread out his arms and directed them to the kitchen table afterwards.

"Wow.. That's a lot," Yumi was surprised. "Don't worry, 60% is for himself," Ulrich estimated. Aelita giggled.

"Why a cake?" Yumi asked.

Aelita was also confused. Odd's grin widened. "To celebrate the release of Einstein's and Princess' game!" Aelita smiled. "Thanks Odd, that means a lot. I'll send a picture to Jeremie to let him know."

Ulrich distanced himself from Yumi to slowly move the car forward. "At least we're moving now," he remarked after noticing the line's motion. Yumi was relieved. "Thanks for waiting guys, but you can start eating if you're hungry," she insisted.

Odd and Aelita shook their heads. "No way! We'll eat together. Even I can wait you know," Odd claimed. They all laughed. "Fine. Just don't complain when we arrive," she warned him. After that they exchanged a few more words and hung up.

"I wonder if Aelita brought along the devices to install the game. That would be cool. If they implemented the new features, we can train together," Ulrich stated. "Who knows," she shrugged, "I hope we can find out soon," Yumi said.

Ten minutes went by before the traffic was miraculously cleared out and they were able to continue their way to Odd's apartment.

* * *

"Great, you made it!" Odd greeted them at his door. "Yes, we did, please feed us, master cook Odd," Ulrich demanded, grinning afterwards. "Sure, come in," he energetically welcomed his friends.

"Hey Yumi, are you both alright?" Aelita approached her to give her a hug. Yumi returned it. "I'm just really up for dinner now," she said. "Leave it to me," Odd said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

He speedily prepared everything they needed for dinner, including their drinks. "Are we supposed to leave a review to praise your effort?" Ulrich joked around. "I do try hard," Odd played along.

"Let's enjoy!" He raised his glass and the others followed.

They were gathered in the living room after dinner and desserts, when Aelita opened her business suitcase. "Since you're all here," she began, "I want to give you the upgraded versions of the devices you tested the other day. Jeremie and I pulled an all-nighter to improve the game and the devices. Luckily, it was just a software update for the devices as well as the game. Players can install it themselves, but I already updated yours," she explained. "Do you guys want to set up your profiles now?"

The three of them eagerly nodded. "How much for the game?" Yumi inquired after the price, but saw Aelita shaking her head. "Please Yumi, I appreciate the manners, but Jeremie and I already discussed this. There is really no need to pay. We want you to have this and we are merely glad that you want to help us out. We simply wish you can relax with this and we hope you enjoy playing it," Aelita replied.

"Thank you, Aelita," Yumi said. They both smiled.

"So ladies, how about a few rounds when we've installed everything?" Ulrich suggested.

Yumi and Aelita looked at each other. "Sure, we can try out the new mode. But you have to keep it a secret from the rest of the world. Jeremie and I inserted a replica of Lyoko into your games. Whenever you're in for some nostalgia, log in and play this mode. It's entirely safe, private and closed off - actually invisible - to others. Just give me your usernames and Jeremie will give you access. I already texted him. He's ready to link you," Aelita told them.

"That's pretty awesome," Ulrich complimented.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Yumi worried, but got a clap on her back from Odd.

"Come on Yumi, we're talking about our geniuses. Give them the benefit of the doubt for once," he tried to reassure her.

Ulrich held her gaze. She was captivated by him for a second until he spoke up. "I'm sure we can handle ourselves and solve any problems we might face. Let's have fun, Yumi."

"Well, okay," she gave in.

"I'll be playing as well," Aelita put her hand on Yumi's shoulder. "If it puts you at ease, I will ask Jeremie to keep an eye on our gameplay just for today. If he keeps his notifications on, he'll notice immediately when something's off," she offered.

Yumi thanked her once again and sat down on the sofa. Ulrich sat next to her and whispered when Aelita was busy explaining the start-up process to Odd. "Don't worry. We can watch over each other, right? There are no mortal enemies. No pressure. Tell me if it becomes too much, okay?" She nodded softly at his words and he smiled at her. "Good," he squeezed her hand and got up to get some pointers from Aelita.

She watched him go and wondered about how only he could truly erase her worries. It was like Ulrich sliced right through her with his katanas, severing the worry strings attached to her heart and mind.

Yumi sighed and also went over to the group. "Don't forget about mine," she spoke up. Her thoughts could wait. They were right. It was time to have some fun.

* * *

**A/N: Next up! The date :D! Hooray. A small reminder; the deadline for sending in a suggestion for the main character in bonus chapter 2 (after chap 30) has passed. You can no longer send in suggestions! Until next time!**


	34. Chapter 30: Beyond Intimates

**A/N: This is it! Chapter 30. Full(y) fledged YxU for you :)! Thanks for the reviews, follows and favourites! All the support/feedback is welcomed :D! Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

Yumi always found it intriguing that time seemed to slow down when you wanted it to speed up. She had been feeling that way for three weeks now. Originally Ulrich was supposed to take her out two weekends ago, but plans had changed. She recalled the events leading to the postponement.

On the actual day itself her mother had called her to tell her Hiroki was ill. Since her mother would be visiting her parents together with their father, she had been requested to take care of Hiroki. Yumi had suggested Ulrich to come over, but Hiroki had strongly refused that idea. Her younger brother absolutely didn't want to infect Ulrich. It had made her wonder whether her being his sister – from the same direct family line – didn't matter. However, she knew his intentions were good.

The following weekend Ulrich's father had ordered him to come home to discuss potential business partnerships. She remembered Ulrich grumbling about how his father was the only person who would start negotiations on Saturdays and Sundays. He had no choice but to obey his father. The Friday before that the company dinner had taken place and his father hadn't wished to interfere any team bonding. As much as he disliked the man, he appreciated that aspect of his father's. Besides, business was business and you kept it separated from your not too urgent private life. And Ulrich was aware he hadn't yet proven to his father that he could handle the job well. Thus, the sooner, the better.

That brought them to the current Saturday morning. Yumi had eaten a proper breakfast so she wouldn't be too hungry around lunch time nor too full from eating too much in the morning. She had chosen her clothes the day before and was getting ready to change into them when her doorbell rang. Yumi panicked and quickly glanced at the small digital clock on her desk. It read 11:24 AM. They had decided on noon as their meeting time, so it couldn't be Ulrich. Yumi stepped out of her room.

"Coming!" She shouted from the living room, where she grabbed the keys from the coffee table. Last night she had thrown them on there, forgetting to hang them on the usual hook in the hallway. Yumi fumbled with the keys and opened the door while mentally slapping herself for not checking its hole first. "Good morning," Ulrich greeted her with an amused expression.

"You're early," Yumi stammered. She took in his appearance. A dark green jacket was draped over his right forearm. He was wearing a slim fitting, black turtleneck sweater. His watch was strapped around his left wrist and was poking out of his sleeve just a little. A pair of ice blue jeans and white sneakers finished his look. His hair was the same, but Yumi spotted use of hair gel. "May I come in?" He chuckled after seeing her pyjamas. _"Cute,_" he thought.

"Hmm? Oh, yes of course," she said, giving herself some more mental slaps. "You look great," she complimented him after having closed the door. "Thanks." He grinned. "Are you going to say that each time I come here?" He teased her. Yumi blushed. "Sorry for being so early," he continued, "I guess it was worth it though." Yumi was confused. "Those pyjamas seem warm," he pointed out.

Yumi's gaze travelled down to her own attire, before another blush bubbled up. "They are," she confirmed, slightly embarrassed that he caught her wearing her grey pyjamas with pandas on them. Before she spent much more time on thinking about her pyjamas (and how anyone would have seen them as she had opened the door immediately), she spoke up. "I'm going to change, I'll be right back," she informed him. "Take your time," he said. She watched him sit down on her sofa and quickly headed into her room.

A little while later Yumi emerged from her room into the living room. Ulrich eyed her outfit. She was wearing an off-shoulder sweater, the dark raspberry colour stark in contrast with her light blue jeans. Her socks stayed the same, a simple pair of black ones. Yumi had taken two thick strands of hair on either side and clipped them at the back with a small butterfly clip. Similar to Ulrich, her watch was on her left wrist. She closed the door with her right hand, while carrying her necklace in her left.

"Ready," she indicated. Ulrich got up and approached her. "I preferred the pyjamas," he joked as he reached out his hands towards her left. Yumi chuckled, but held her breath for a mere second as the distance between them shrank. Ulrich took the accessory from her hand. Yumi paused, her body entirely still as she closed her eyes in anticipation. His fingers stroked her skin slightly when he gently placed the necklace around her before fastening it at the back. She opened her eyes afterwards.

Ulrich carefully traced her neckline with his fingers, admiring how much it suited her before retracting his hand. "It's an even better fit than I imagined," he told her, after having seen it up close like this for the first time. Yumi mostly wore clothes that covered her shoulders and neckline. The exposure of both shoulders gave the necklace extra limelight. Ulrich thought she was beautiful, but this highlighted her features even more.

She was blushing once more. "You're beautiful Yumi," he held her gaze after giving his honest opinion. Yumi looked into his eyes and suddenly felt like crying. All because of one decision, this man in front of her had to go through so much despair and sadness. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Ulrich squeezed her hand, seeming to understand Yumi's feelings. "It's okay. We'll get there," he said. "Shall we go?" He pointed their hands to the front door. She nodded.

Yumi put on her ankle boots, grabbed her jacket of the hook and turned around to see Ulrich waiting for her. "Let's go then," she said.

* * *

After a short car ride they arrived at the café. They were seated at a table in the corner again and were waiting for their food. "How come you were so early?" Yumi asked him, while fidgeting with the placard that had a '5' on it. She smiled to herself, remembering that they had previously had number five as well. "Because I planned a few other things to do today," Ulrich said. "Do you want to go shop for gifts for Jeremie and Aelita? The anniversary of ELITA's founding is coming up, remember? I figured it today would be best to pick them out," he explained. She perked up at that. "That's a great idea. We haven't really have time for that yet, because of all the various happenings," Yumi stated.

"But at least the company dinner turned out much better than I expected. Everyone, uhm, behaved," she decided on. "Probably because my uncle said a few words to the team as random encouragement. He does that sometimes when he does his rounds. People always perceive that as "we're watching you, so be good". That's why everyone was strangely quiet and productive that week," Ulrich revealed. "Ah, well, that was very much appreciated. It felt so normal that I was worrying whether I was crazy," she said. Ulrich laughed. "Yeah, you still don't need to worry about that," he said.

The waiter arrived at their table and placed their ordered food in front of them. "Enjoy," he said and walked to another table afterwards. "You got other sweets today," she noticed. "Yep, but let's save those until after the sandwiches," he opted. "Sounds good," Yumi agreed.

They ate while talking about how work was coming along fine. Then it was time for the sweets. Ulrich had chosen Daifuku and Japanese caramel pudding. "So good," Yumi relished her food. Ulrich nodded while finishing everything on his plates.

"Do you have any clue where to start our search for the gifts?" He asked her as they left the café. Yumi pondered for a while. "There is a mall just outside of Paris that is supposed to let you experience the ultimate shopping day. We could take that as our starting point. There is a wide variety of shops," she said.

"Okay, let's check that out then," Ulrich said.

Driving towards their destination took longer than expected. It was already 02:00 PM when they entered the mall. "Well, judging from the size, we should be fine. There is enough to visit," Ulrich looked up and around him. "Yes, I've been here once or twice, but I never took my time," Yumi said. "The third time's the charm," he stated. She laughed. "More often than not, yes."

They started their search for something appropriate for their intelligent friends. "How about we send them on a date?" Yumi suggested. "I bet they never really rest. They should leisurely go on a date and the occasion is a nice motive," she added. Ulrich concurred. "What can we make them do?" He asked. "Hmmm." Yumi thought hard again.

"Something adventurous?" Ulrich said. They imagined Jeremie and shook their heads.

"Something romantic?" Yumi said. They imagined the possible awkwardness that came with a pre-arranged date and shook their heads.

"Aren't there any conventions where they can go?" Ulrich asked. Yumi quirked a brow. "And you think they wouldn't know about them before we do?" He mouthed an "ah" and continued thinking.

"A dinner date?" Yumi's eyes fell on a magazine that displayed a twin tower building that had a restaurant in the sky bridge that connected the towers. "There is an event for couples where the winner gets a meet-and-greet with the CEO of the company that sponsors the event. There are also some other rewards, but they're not disclosed," she showed him the page that held the information.

"Doesn't Jeremie have a fear of heights?" Ulrich tried to remember. "Not too much right?" Yumi was not sure of herself either. "But he just needs to sit there and it's not that high, only 20 floors. Well, it's their choice," she said. Ulrich nodded. "The idea is cool and it's a mix of our other topics," he agreed. They looked into signing up and finished registering Aelita and Jeremie quickly after.

"I received the confirmation e-mail, but we need to send it to them. It's their proof of entry," Yumi read from her phone. "We should ask them to keep their schedule free for that day. We can tell them we want to hang out that day to celebrate. Then we'll send the e-mail one week before the actual date," she planned it out. "Good plan, I hope they'll like it," Ulrich said. "I hope this will create some time for them to relax," she wished aloud before returning the magazine to its place.

They went to a few more shops and bought two other gifts for their friends. "That should do," Ulrich affirmed. "Yep," she happily said. "Do you want to look around?" He asked. She nodded.

After walking around for a while, Yumi pointed to a store called "Furniture & Bedding". "Can I go in? I just need to get something for my parents. They asked me to find it for them," she informed him. "That's such an original name. I wonder how they made that up." His sarcastic remark was followed by "I mean, sure. I need to go to the toilet, so I'll be right back," he said. Yumi seemed relieved to hear that he wouldn't follow her inside. "I think you'll have to walk quite far. The nearest ones had a sign on them. They're off limits for a while," she pointed to the left. "Okay, thanks. I'll be quick," he said and went right to look for functioning toilets. "_Sorry, but I need all the time I can get_," she apologized in her head and went inside the store.

It was early evening when they were done with shopping, they each carried two bags while exiting the mall. "What did you get your parents?" Ulrich asked. "A comfortable blanket for spring and summer. It's to keep you cool during the coming warmth. I know they'll be sleeping without a blanket otherwise, but that's not good for them. It was actually my idea and they told me to buy it if I was so sure," she told him the story and showed him the beige blanket. Ulrich chuckled. "I hope you'll be successful." She smiled. "Yeah, I'm sure I will be."

Outside of the mall was a large square. People were doing all sort of activities. Teenagers were hanging out, sales men and women were walking around or passing through, elderly were sitting on the benches and lots of children were playing. A few of them, together with a male in his late twenties, were playing with a ball. Suddenly, one of the children kicked the ball in the direction of the elderly. The male ran towards it and kicked it away from them just in time. However, the ball was then headed straight for Yumi.

It was too unexpected. Yumi's reflexes wouldn't make it. Her bags were also obstructing her movement. With her arms bent towards her she held up the bags, in hope of blocking the ball. Ulrich, who had been slightly ahead of her that moment, had more time to judge the situation as he happened to have taken notice of the kid that caused the panic. "Yumi!" He shouted and acted fast. He blocked the ball with his left leg by kicking it to the ground. The swing had been short but impactful. The ball went flying and the kids all ran to catch it together. Ulrich felt pain shoot up his leg, but focused on Yumi.

"Are you alright?" He asked. "Yes, but… your leg. Isn't that your bad one?" She worried. "It does function you know. It's fine. This level of pain is nothing compared to the one at your apartment," he claimed, continuing his walk towards the parking lot. "We should rest before going home," Yumi advised him. "I said it's fine. We can go, I've been dealing with this for a few years now. I know what I can and cannot take," he stubbornly spoke up. "I think you should take it easy," she said, crossing her arms. "I don't want you to get hurt and now this has happened. I'm just a little afraid and the shock from that time when you tried to leave my apartment still hasn't completely died down. Please, just get some rest," she argued.

"If I keep moving it, my leg won't feel pain. It's like taking a hit or bumping into something. The pain subsides pretty quickly. If I stop moving, my leg might start cramping," he responded. Yumi stopped talking and uncrossed her arms again. "Are you entirely sure about this? I believe what you say, but I have a bad feeling about it. It's almost dinner time anyway. You can give your leg some rest while we eat," she urged on. Ulrich wanted to further deny that he needed rest, but saw that Yumi was determined to stop him from overusing his leg. "What do you want to eat?" He asked her as means of giving in.

"Noodles," she grinned. "Noodles it is," Ulrich confirmed. "There is a famous place near here," Yumi began. Ulrich smiled. "Lead the way," he gestured for her to guide him. "My pleasure," she said. They laughed.

* * *

After dinner the two of them walked back to the car. "If we take the highway, we'll be home faster," Yumi told him. "I prefer the city routes though," Ulrich said. "Why?" Yumi was intrigued. "Because it's safer. The speed limits are a lot lower, so it's easier to avoid serious problem that could occur," he vaguely explained. "Says the person who sped the Overbike throughout all of Lyoko," Yumi put her hands to her sides while still holding on her bags. "On Lyoko my legs function normally," he reminded her. "Oh…," she trailed off, lowering the bags again. "Well, let's take the longer route then. I don't want to take risks," she changed her mind upon hearing his reasons.

"Right," he said. Ulrich put the bags he was carrying on the back seats behind the driver's seat. Yumi did the same on the other side. He turned on the radio, then set off for Yumi's apartment. "I have something for you," she began after half an hour had passed. Ulrich looked at her in confusion and returned his attention to the road. "I'll give it to you when you'll go home," she told him. "Is that the reason why you lied about the toilets?" He asked her, entertained by her antics. "How did you know?" Yumi was surprised. "I asked the employee there why the toilets were closed to the public, since you didn't state a reason. He eyed me with this weird look and asked me what on Earth I was talking about," he revealed. Yumi suddenly started to admire the street lights out of embarrassment. "I didn't have a choice," she whispered.

He laughed. However, the laughter was short-lived. Ulrich showed a pained expression. Yumi was concerned. "What's wrong?" She asked him, touching his arm. "Cramps," he got out, referring to his leg. Meanwhile the car had a speed of 70 kilometres per hour. They were on a route between two cities, which meant you could drive at a higher speed than the speed limit used in city boundaries. Moreover, there were no places to pull over. Yumi couldn't help but regard that as her karma. "Do they go away?" She started to panic.

"No, I need to straighten my leg while my foot has a steady support that I can put pressure on. Or I have to massage my leg," he gritted his teeth as his left leg froze itself. "But… we're on the road. How are we going to do that with this speed?" She asked, slightly more composed than seconds ago. Ulrich considered his options. He couldn't drive using only his right leg, since his left leg would distract and hinder him too much. "Can you take over for me? We can switch seats if we move mine backwards. I'll pull myself across. We're on the right lane, so people can just pass us if they want. But we need to switch fast, because the gear has to be lowered when the speed has reduced too much," he requested her.

Yumi became nervous. "I don't have a driver's license," she revealed. Ulrich stilled. "Sorry," she added, "I can try though." She lacked confidence, but wanted to help him out. "For now, it's important to get the gear down in time. I can't use my left leg to press the coupling pedal, the one on the left," he slowly explained as he pointed his left arm down. He tried to keep the car steady with his other arm. "The middle one is for the breaks, the right regulates your speed," he continued. She nodded in understanding. "Right, got it, now what do I do?" She noticed the speedometer displaying 55 km/h.

"Sit in front of me," he ordered her. She found time to blush and raise her eyebrows in surprise. "I can't help you if you don't. Sorry, but I can't let you go solo behind the wheel," he managed to joke around. "Okay," she said, starting to make her way over. She clumsily got her legs through the small space that was left and sat in front of him taking over the wheel. Ulrich's foot was still on the gas pedal and he was trying his best to keep the speed above 45 km/h. "Put your right foot on the right pedal and speed up a little. Switch to the middle with your right when you need to break. Make the first gas station you see our rest stop," he ordered. Yumi nodded. "What do I do with my left?" She asked.

"Rest it on the floor, since I'll be using the platform besides the left pedal to straighten my leg against. I usually need to keep it like that for at least five minutes, but I suspect it'll take longer because there is no proper flooring now. I'll tell you when you need to use the left one," he told her and he put his hand on the clutch to operate the gearbox. With the urgency the situation carried there was no time to be embarrassed about the intimate way they were seated. They were both trying their hardest not to pay attention to how close they were, but it was proving to be a mission impossible. "Can you…can you move the seat backwards with the handle below?" He asked her. "Y-yes," she answered and complied. Ulrich was now able to fully stretch his leg and Yumi shuffled forward to stay within reach of the pedals.

Like that, they safely made it to a gas station where Yumi successfully parked the car in one of the many empty spaces of the resting area. It had only taken them eight minutes. Luck had been with them, because no one had spotted them breaking the rules. Most importantly, they hadn't seen or heard a single police car. Yumi bumped against Ulrich in the process of getting out of the car. "Sorry," she stammered. She was careful not to hit his left leg. Ulrich followed her outside and hopped to the back seats. "Has it lessened?" Yumi asked. "Yeah, it's bearable now." Yumi thought of something and she moved the bags on the seats to one side of the car. "Sit down with your leg stretched out towards the door," she lightly pushed him while she spoke and he ended up in the position Yumi wanted. "I might not be the best at this, but I have enough skills. Hiroki and I used to do this a lot when we were both staying up late to study," she told him and moved to massage his leg.

Ulrich no longer felt his leg threatening to contract its muscles again and secretly enjoyed Yumi's work more than necessary. Eventually he gestured with his hands for her to stop. "Thanks Yumi," he smiled. "No problem," she bashfully backed away. He pulled her inside again, holding her hand. "I might need this service of yours again in the future," he began while he stroked her palm with his thumb, "it's never going to go away. I can only be extra careful, but then I can't really live my life." Yumi sympathized with him. "That doesn't mean you can't try. There are lots of other ways to save me," she joked. He laughed. "I know," he went along with it, then got serious again. "I will try to pay more attention. Sometimes I simply forget that I have to deal with it," he scratched his head and let go of her hand. "It's good to be distracted though," Yumi claimed. "Life is more enjoyable that way."

"Yeah, it just sucks that in return this," he tapped his leg, "causes huge surprises and unexpected inconveniences, even if I know what's up." Yumi frowned. "Is there really nothing that can be done?" She wondered. Ulrich shook his head. "Nope. Believe it or not. My dad actually went out of his way to search for a method that could improve or completely heal it. To no avail," he said, getting ready to drive back. "Are you upset that you couldn't continue playing soccer?" She carefully asked him.

"Yes," he honestly replied. "I have been for years. However, I have come to terms with it. There is nothing I can do about it and brooding won't help. Somewhere I think I'm actually blaming myself for not being able to satisfy my father, since that was the only thing he really supported." Ulrich paused and Yumi felt an urge to hug him. She missed her timing as Ulrich spoke up again. "But enough about that, ready to go home?" He asked. "I'll go buy some water, then we can leave," she said. "Okay," he said before sitting down to adjust his seat. Yumi glanced back on her way to the store and saw Ulrich leaning his head against the steering wheel.

She returned to her seat and handed him a water bottle. "Thanks," he said. "Are you alright?" Yumi questioned him. "I will be, Yumi. Eventually," Ulrich said. Somehow the weight of that last word seemed to mean a lot more than he originally intended. Yumi sighed. She hoped everything would turn out fine.

* * *

A comfortable silence had been present during the remaining part of the ride. Quiet car rides were quite meaningful to both Yumi and Ulrich. It gave them time to think without having an awkward atmosphere to ruin the mood. They appreciated that the other understood that. And after another thirty minutes Ulrich and Yumi were already approaching the entrance with her bags.

They stepped inside the elevator and Yumi pressed the button for the seventh floor. "I really missed spending time with you like this," she confessed, absent-mindedly pressing all of the buttons to the floors below number eight before the doors closed. Ulrich glanced her way, while his finger neared the buttons of the higher floors. In the end, all buttons lit up red indicating they were going to stop on each floor. "I missed it too, Yumi," he finally spoke up. Then the doors closed and they were lifted of the ground.

There was a sudden tension in the small space. Ulrich eyed Yumi secretly while she wasn't paying attention to him. However, Yumi did the same. They caught each other's gaze, immediately redirecting their own afterwards. They reached the first floor. Both reached out for the button to close the doors, but Ulrich was late since he stood further away. Their hands were on top of each other as Yumi made the doors close. "But I had fun," Ulrich kept holding her hand, entwining their fingers and letting their hands fall between them. Yumi squeezed his hand in return. "I did too." She smiled.

Ding! The second stop was made. This time Ulrich closed the doors. The same occurred for the next three floors, until someone got in with a cart full of boxes. "Will it fit? I only need to move up one floor," someone behind the huge cart said. "Six is already pressed," Ulrich notified. The cart was rolled forward, after a brief mumbled "thanks" from the other side. Yumi now stood with her back against the mirror you would normally look at when you enter and Ulrich stood in front of her, shielding her.

Yumi took this moment to take in his height. He had grown a considerable amount these few years and was now almost a head taller than her. Taking into account that she was wearing low heels, she could put her head under his chin if she wasn't wearing shoes. Blushing at her random thought, Yumi quickly looked down in hopes of hiding it. Ulrich also tried is hardest not to stare at her, but caught her in the act anyway. He used his eyes as means of communication, seeming to ask her what was up. "It's nothing," she whispered.

Sixth floor was announced by the elevator's sound system. Before the cart was dragged out, it was shoved into Ulrich's back by accident. He managed to prevent making a pancake out of Yumi by steadying his forearms on either side of her head against the mirror. Although his lips had connected with Yumi's forehead in the process. Her cheeks coloured a fierce red. She understood it wasn't done on purpose, but it still made her heart beat twice as fast. Ulrich had quickly moved away, avoiding Yumi's gaze. "Uhmm… Sorry," he whispered. They both heard a "thanks again" outside the doors, before they closed again.

Seventh floor was where Yumi lived, so she prepared to get off. However, when the doors opened Ulrich pulled her against him. Yumi stumbled and fell against him, wondering why he would do that. He held her tightly, warmth filling them both. "Just a little longer," he whispered in her hair. She could hear his quickened heartbeat and closed her eyes to keep listening to the thumping sounds. The doors closed again and the elevator continued its course. Two floors later Ulrich released her. "Thank you, Yumi," she could faintly hear him say it. "What for?" She asked softly. "Making life worthwhile again," he said, looking into her eyes. She stared at him as well.

They were both aware of the fact that there was still a long way to go. However, feelings never warned you before they overflowed.

The doors to the tenth floor were closing. Ulrich inched closer to Yumi, caressing her cheek before placing his hand behind her ear. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds.

Ulrich gently kissed her left cheek, his heart going crazy.

Yumi felt her temperature rise, her will to stop it non-existent.

He moved to the other side, placing one more kiss.

She swore she could hear their heartbeats throughout the enclosed space.

Ulrich closed the distance in sync with the elevator doors.

They closed their eyes in anticipation.

How long would it take for ten millimetres to disappear?

* * *

**A/N: Good night :)!**


	35. Chapter 30,25: Snippets of Odd's Life

**A/N: Hello! It's been another ten, so it's time for bonus chapters :D! This is number one! Thank you for the support. Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

It was Sunday. Kelly had just moved in with Odd and they had been busy all day. Odd was being dragged around to do this and that. His place had never felt so spacious before. There was a double meaning to that. They had re-ordered all rooms except his art room and the bedroom.

"I'm exhausted," Odd dramatically lied down on his back. Kelly put her hands to her sides and looked at him sprawled out on the floor. "All you did was lift boxes and furniture. _I _did all the cleaning," she scolded him. Odd grinned. "Yeah, you did great!" He joked. She kicked him lightly. "Ah! Sorry, sorry. Teach me and I'll help you next time!"

She huffed, but wasn't mad. "Now, you rest as well!" He said as he pulled her down on top of him. "Hey, stop, we still have to fold the boxes and store them away and we -," she was cut off by a kiss. "Hmmm! Hmm!" Kelly protested. He chuckled when she managed to break away. "A few minutes won't hurt me," Kelly blushed at that, seeing how Odd was basically her pillow.

"Hey Odd, when are you meeting the others again? We should give a housewarming!" She suggested. "Good idea. I'll have to check when they're available. Anyone you want to invite on your side?" She pondered. "Yeah a few friends from college."

"Great, let's plan it tonight! We can set the date and stuff!" Odd excitedly told her. Kelly pondered again. "Do you think our friends will get along?"

"Why wouldn't they?"

"I don't know. You guys always seem to be closer than anyone. It's hard to mingle," she shared her opinion.

Odd paused. "Nah, that's just because we've known each other for a long time. We've been through a lot together," he said. "I know, I know, you told me. But there is still a little uneasy feeling," she revealed. He sighed. "You're also not used to them yet. We should meet often from now. Even if it's not the entire group. If we tell them you want to get to know them, they'll surely open up towards you," he assured her.

She nodded. "You must be right. I might be overthinking it," she said. "Let's get back to work." Kelly got up, reaching down her hand to Odd. He took it. "I'll go fix your closet then," he dusted himself off and walked away. Kelly thought about her worries, but shook her head in the end. "I'm probably just too sensitive," she talked to herself, shrugged and went to fold the boxes.

After a day of nothing but work, Odd sat down on the sofa and let himself fall sideward on the cushions. "Are you really that tired?" Kelly asked him. "Yeah, I am. You can't say that I haven't worked hard," he stopped her. She laughed. "I won't. I was just wondering if you would be up for coffee and snacks or not." He was up in an instant. She laughed again. "Here," handing him his share, she sat down next to him.

"You know, about earlier. You said I have yet to get to know Yumi and the others. But if I think about it, I am already pretty close to Yumi. She and I got along fairly quickly. So, I've decided to be positive and I'll do my best to be friends with Ulrich, Jeremie and Aelita too." Kelly was determined.

"Fantastic! That means a lot to me too!" He exclaimed, hugging her. She smiled. "So, what were you guys like in high school? Those last years. You and I never really talked anymore because we were in separate classes," she asked.

"Ah, well, many things happened. Especially in our final two years," Odd began.

* * *

_It was the day of Yumi's graduation. Ulrich had just witnessed Yumi accepting William as her boyfriend. Ulrich walked around like a body without soul for many days after that. Nobody else knew the what had been the cause. Nevertheless, Odd had watched over him. Of course, Aelita and Jeremie had as well. But Odd had been the one who had stayed closest to Ulrich. He could see how hurt the latter was._

_Three days after the incident Odd returned from the showers to turn in for the day. He was about to enter when he heard the sniffling noises coming from inside the room. It made him hesitate. In the end, he decided to give his friend the privacy he probably wanted at that moment. Odd sat down in front of the door. He had been roommates with Ulrich for years and had gotten to know him so well. Odd understood Yumi was the reason. However, he was unaware of the details. Judging from Ulrich's permanent negative mood, he came to the conclusion it was big this time._

_Odd had sat there for half an hour. Until Sissi came by. "Are you hoping to run into a girl here? Surely not someone as pretty as me I hope?" Odd didn't pay her any attention and hoped she would just pass by. "Where is Ulrich? I'm worried about him. Are you blocking the door on purpose? In order for me not to enter?" She accused him out of nowhere. Odd still ignored her. "Ulrich? Ulrich?! ULRICH?! Are you there?" That was the limit for Odd. He figured Ulrich must have heard Sissi by now and went inside. "Just go," he told her before closing the door on her. Sissi went away without protest. Odd wondered whether she had caught a glimpse of Ulrich._

_"Are you okay?" Odd wanted to punch himself for asking the stupidest question to ask in these times. "I'm going to sleep," Ulrich responded, turning his back to his shorter friend. "Okay, good night. I'll try to be quiet," he said. Ulrich gave no further reply. Odd sat on his bed, back against the wall. "_I hope you'll cheer up soon buddy," _he had thought._

_It wasn't until nine days after the incident that Ulrich confided the story to him. Aelita had told Odd it would probably take Ulrich more time than usual to muster up the courage. Odd had taken that very seriously, so he was happy when Ulrich talked. And he was even happier when Ulrich agreed to tell the story to Jeremie and Aelita as well._

_When he did, neither of the two said a thing. Odd didn't blame them. He had also turned mute after hearing it. Nobody would have the right reaction to it. Ulrich understood that much, so he didn't comment grumpily on their lack of response. Odd had wondered if there was even a 'right' response. Aelita had been the first to speak. "She must have had her reasons." Ulrich snorted. Even Jeremie raised both eyebrows. Odd also couldn't believe her direct approach, but thought better of it. A direct approach might have been the best choice._

_"I know it's hard to face it, but you know Yumi better than any of us, right?" Aelita continued. "Maybe you should try talking to her again after our year-end exams," she said. "Aelita's right, Ulrich. There might be issues we were unaware of," Jeremie joined in. "And I'm sorry to say this, but you have to pass certain subjects to enter senior year. Let's focus on those exams for a few weeks. That'll give you time to settle your thoughts and approach her calmly," he pointed out rather bluntly. Ulrich was staring at his feet, so he didn't take in Jeremie's concerned face. "Don't forget about soccer. The Einsteins will help you study and I will take responsibility for the fun in life!" Odd lightly punched Ulrich's shoulder._

_"Thanks guys. I'll try not to disappear from your sights at least," he sighed. "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep early," Ulrich told them. The others watched him leave. Afterwards, Odd had discussed with the others how to handle the situation. They had made plans, kept each other updated using their phones and hoped for the best._

_They were glad when the results showed that everyone had made it to senior year. Odd and Ulrich had celebrated with an all-nighter filled with games. 'Stress release' Odd had called it. Ulrich had started to appreciate his friend more than he had in other years._

_Odd, Aelita and Jeremie had thought Ulrich had forgotten about the incident until someone decided to throw salt in old, yet open, wounds. "Ulrich, dear, have you heard anything from Yumi? How has she been doing? Is she preparing for college life?" Sissi questioned him. Ulrich's glare must have been so fierce, because Odd noticed real fear in Sissi's expression._

_Ulrich had walked away and Odd had followed. "Don't mind her remarks," he tried to calm Ulrich down. "That girl," Ulrich clenched his fists. "Yeah, I know," Odd swung his arms over Ulrich's shoulder. "Let's go visit Yumi at her house. I'll go with you. As your bright energy source," he grinned. Ulrich agreed to go. They told Aelita and Jeremie before going, who wished Ulrich good luck._

_But when the boys had arrived at the front door the next day, Yumi's mother had revealed that Yumi had moved out already. "She didn't inform you?" Was the – at that point – obvious rhetorical question. "No ma'am," Odd replied. The two of them then returned to the dorms where Ulrich went back to square one._

_Over the summer holidays – one where no one had gone home simultaneously – Ulrich trained and trained and trained. Every day contained Pencak Silat practice, sit ups and running. He became so agile, that Odd was convinced Ulrich would beat William with much more ease than before. Even Yumi would have a hard time. Sometimes, however, Odd would catch him doing something else in the gym. He was aware Ulrich had asked Jim whether they had a boxing ball in the storage room. The gym teacher had scratched his head, but got it out while telling him nobody ever used it. He warned his student not to overdo things. The very moment Odd witnessed Ulrich using it, he knew that the warning had been ignored._

_Whether it was Ulrich's anger management or depression relief, Odd was plainly shocked to see his friend ferociously attacking the boxing ball with his bare hands (and feet). On the one hand, he was amazed Ulrich was able to move so skilfully. On the other hand, Odd's alarm signals went off in his head. After the twentieth session, he had stepped up. "Hey, buddy, don't you think you should take it easier? This isn't going to help you," Odd told him tentatively._

_"What else can I do, Odd? I.. just.. can't let go," Ulrich fell to his knees. Odd couldn't bear to watch him like that. "How about I take you on?" He suggested, getting a smile out of Ulrich. "You?" He said. "Yeah, me!" Odd proudly pointed at himself. "Come on, it can't be that hard!" He exclaimed. "Fine, you're on," Ulrich slowly got to his feet, giving Odd time to scan Ulrich's body. His hands were a dangerous red, completely beat up. His feet were less damaged._

_"Tomorrow?" Odd asked. "Chickening out already?" Ulrich let out a laugh. "No, but the gym's going to close soon," Odd mentally thanked the time. "Ah, well, I've had enough I guess," Ulrich checked his hands. "Let's go take a shower," Odd clapped him on his back. "Yep," Ulrich replied without spunk._

_The days that followed were spent by Ulrich defeating Odd almost every time they sparred. In between, Ulrich and Odd had study sessions with Jeremie and Aelita. The latter pair thought it wise to revise the material of the last two years. Ulrich didn't agree at first. But Aelita had stimulated him by stating it would be a different distraction._

_Study sessions were something that never ended. Even when their high school senior year had started, Ulrich still wasn't emotionally stable and he struggled not to fail. Odd always had his back, but for most subjects Aelita and Jeremie were needed. Their smart friends had divided the subjects between the two of them. And each of them took it upon themselves to teach Ulrich (and Odd while they were at it). Odd had noticed Jeremie was simply strict, yet fun if you got it. Aelita was gentle, yet strict when teaching. When they were with Aelita, the session always ended with talking about Yumi. Ulrich had slowly poured out more and more of his inner feelings._

_Odd was thankful the bonds in their group were strong. Being there for Ulrich was difficult. Odd, Aelita and Jeremie all knew that, but Ulrich was that precious friend who they didn't want to lose no matter what. He had done so much for them and never accepted help in return willingly. This time, they were determined to stand their ground._

_As grateful as Odd was for Aelita and Jeremie, Odd had picked up on something. One day, he had gone back to Jeremie's room to get his book when he heard Aelita's voice. "Will we ever find anyone from my family again?" She had sounded desperate and anxious. Jeremie had soothed her. "It's okay. Someday we'll find out what happened to you and what kind of life you had." Odd left them alone, not wanting to disturb them. They sounded like personal problems. He was sure they would let their friends know at some point._

_With some things hidden and other things solved, Odd graduated alongside his friends. They all had grant plans. Ulrich was going to go to official soccer training. Rumours had it he was going to be scouted. Aelita and Jeremie were going to the same college, somewhere far away. Odd would go to the art academy. "This is it, guys," he had told them. They stacked their hands on top of each other and spoke at the same time. "Keep me posted!"_

* * *

"That had been our last day together. We met up every now and then, but never as a full group. I already told you Jeremie and Aelita were trying hard to find any remaining family members of Aelita next to studying like crazy. Ulrich didn't exactly have the time of his life after breaking his leg. And I.. I could only do my best to support them. I didn't have problems. Other than the bickering in my family, the amount of detentions and so on. I couldn't relate to them and it was hard to keep up. Most important of all, I'm just glad it all worked out," Odd finished his story.

"Well… me losing their contact information didn't really help," he thoughtfully added.

"It might have been a good thing though. Maybe not having them around made you realize what you missed. Not everyone has a, sorry to say, dramatic life. The group of friends you value wouldn't have been the same without you. They won't hate you because you have a somewhat normal life," Kelly spoke up.

"Yep. I know that now. It's a past put behind me," he confirmed.

"So, why don't you tell me your story now?" He put a cookie in his mouth and looked at her eagerly. Kelly laughed.

"Okay, here I go," she prepared herself mentally and began to share her story.

Odd smiled while he listened to her speaking.

All of them had reached the next step. And he hoped they would all stick together to see the achievement of complete success in their lives.

* * *

**A/N: See you next time, where a woman will be the main character :D! I previously stated that there would be two bonus chapters after chapter 30. I might change it to three. Hence, the ,25 xD.**


	36. Chapter 30,5: A Reason for Distraction

**A/N: Good morning/afternoon/evening/night :). That should cover the whole world. Thanks for the continuous support :)! This chapter is short, but it's a new perspective. An important one though. Shout out to Paladin777 for suggesting her as main character! Thanks! Enjoy the read everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

For the past few months it had been hard for her to focus on work. Why was that? Because a certain somebody had entered her life again. And what made it worse? He was her boss. It was a strange experience and almost unbelievable, but his presence kept reminding her it was the truth. He was still handsome, grumpy and acted cold. Although those old characteristics weighed nothing against his changes. She mostly perceived him as more composed. Although, that was logical. Then there was the fact that she was also still one year older than him. Having a younger boss was plain weird. But it didn't matter how much she thought about it. Accepting it was the only way.

After all, that's what she had done in the past as well. Emily LeDuc had accepted reality when she found out her feelings would never be returned.

Now, she had spent a lot of time observing her colleagues. It surprised her Yumi Ishiyama had started working as a receptionist when she started out in the same company. She hadn't ever taken the opportunity to have a proper talk with Yumi. She had also never felt the urge to, so they just worked without any friendly interactions. It hadn't bothered anyone in the team. Which seemed strange when one considered how well Yumi got along with them. She had started to wonder whether she actually dwelled too much on the details of her observations. Then she realized the team was too busy. There was no room to pay attention to trivial matters.

And then it had happened. Rumours everywhere. Apparently the director had brought a new addition to the team. It was supposedly his nephew. The position had been vacant for a long time. The main team's manager. Emily always thought it to be the most difficult position. Their diverse working methods might give that person a hard time. But who was she to worry about that? She had heard a lot of people had applied to be the secretary of the new boss. Many colleagues had called upon friends to take the chance. That was a lot faster than applying by means of the website or via an employment agency. That meant that person would at least be getting assistance.

When she had heard the name for the first time in a while, she had stilled. Her trainee, Jamie, had overheard others talking and had described his appearance to her. "Ulrich Stern?" Emily had tried the words like you would taste new food. Jamie had nodded and asked her why she sounded so taken aback. Emily had explained the situation, not expecting the consequences to be so drastic. Had she said too much?

Things had gotten out of hand when Yumi became Ulrich's secretary. People started talking without shame. When Yumi had stared straight at her, some part of her started to feel guilty. Rumours would not even be rumours anymore. For everyone, it became a truth. Even Emily had a hard time believing otherwise. It was hard with the way Ulrich stood up for her in nearly every meeting during his starting period.

Recently though, people kept their mouths shut. In Emily's opinion it was even worse than before. Ulrich wasn't as much of a victim as Yumi. The latter had to endure the silent whispers, the glares and accusations. Emily looked at her trainee, who was working on the latest software for another application. Had he been the one who spread the information? She looked at other colleagues. Had anyone overheard her conversation with Jamie? Emily shook her head. "Nothing can be done about it now," she softly told herself.

"Can I ask you something?" Jamie spoke up. Emily nodded while she scrolled through some documents. "I have a feeling that the younger employees are being looked down upon. We obviously don't have as much knowledge as one would require, but we know more about our subjects than they are aware of. It doesn't feel right to be bossed around by those who don't understand our work. Do you feel that way as well?" Emily just stared at her screen as she processed what Jamie told her.

"May I know who you are talking about?" She asked, looking at him directly. He was slightly startled by her irritated attitude. "Uhm," he checked his surroundings, "Yumi Ishiyama," he whispered.

"_Ah, even my employee?_" Emily thought, turning back to her screen. "Did anyone stimulate you to think that way?" She bluntly asked him. Jamie paused. It took him a second too long to shake his head and Emily lost interest. If he wasn't genuine enough, she didn't need to worry about getting reprimanded. "Why don't you talk to the counsellor? He might be able to help you with your worries. I'm really sorry, but I'm not good with resolving things like this," she proposed. "_And I don't trust you. It will surely harm my reputation._"

"Ah, no, I just wanted to hear your opinion. It's okay. I will talk to him." She eyed him again. "Maybe you should take one more colleague to represent your group?" Emily suggested. Jamie thanked her afterwards. "I will, thank you Emily." Jamie had walked away to immediately schedule in an appointment.

The next day Emily heard the older colleagues complain about the newer recruits. Things along the lines of "they are not the only ones having a hard time" travelled around the office. Apparently the counsellor was going to mediate between Jamie, Alice and Yumi. Emily had a feeling it wouldn't turn out fine, so she had secretly eavesdropped on the conversation. It only resulted in a mix of surprise and annoyance. Emily honestly respected Yumi's way of handling them, but understood the young employees as well. Wasn't Yumi missing the point? If so many people had a problem with her, she ought to change, right? Emily shook her head and ran her fingers through her loose hair. "_Let it go. Don't get involved._"

She quickly returned to her office when she heard it coming to an end. "Should I check up on Yumi later?" She wondered aloud. Emily did feel slightly responsible for the outcome, since she suggested counselling to Jamie.

After working late, she decided to drop by Yumi's office to see if she was still present. She noticed the window shutter for the small window in the door was opened. She readied herself by raising her hand to knock. But before she knocked she glanced inside. Her eyes enlarged upon witnessing the scene in front of her. Ulrich was hugging Yumi from behind. Yumi played around, making them fall down. Did they not realize their intimacy was visible? Emily was frustrated. "So they play around while we work our heads off?"

"_Are they dating?_" She really wanted to know the answer to that question. She shook her head. "Not my business," she said to herself. Despite that claim, she couldn't help but recall how close Yumi and Ulrich had looked when she went to invite him for lunch and accidentally bumped the door against them. "It proves nothing," she reminded herself.

Emily pivoted on her heels, stepped away and left the building through the back door, since the entrance was already locked. On her way to the bus stop, she thought about the past once more. Accepting reality wasn't all of it. There was also a time where she regretted reality. But she had never known that it would turn out like it did. Never did she stop to consider the consequences of her actions.

"I guess it turned out alright though," her words were carried away by the strong gusts of wind. Emily gathered her hair and tied it into a ponytail. She gazed at her reflection in the building's windows. "_So I will be fine too_," she thought as she resumed her walk to the bus stop. "_Eventually."  
_

* * *

**A/N: Emily will also be back (well obviously since she works there :P). Next time, let's have a fun bonus chapter. Until then!**


	37. Chapter 30,75: Aelita vs Odd

**A/N: It's June! Summer is around the corner.. Time flies. Enjoy the read xD..**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

"So, remind me, why are we doing this again?" Ulrich stood behind Jeremie, who was seated in front of the computer screens in the private lab. "Because they want to," the blond-haired answered paired with a shrug of his shoulders and then pointed to Aelita and Odd. The former cousins were standing apart, back facing back. Ulrich and Jeremie were currently ignoring them.

"Too bad Yumi couldn't come," he added. Ulrich scratched his head. "Yeah, she said she had an exam coming up and won't leave her apartment until she's done studying," Ulrich explained. "Doesn't she have to work on Monday? Is one weekend enough time? Or do you grant her days off?" Jeremie inquired after the details while he tapped away on his keyboard. He was touching up some functions for the training mode in the limited edition.

"She took some time off, because it's the most difficult subject of this semester," Ulrich replied. "Ah," Jeremie continued programming. "Okay guys. It's done. Just log into the game. You'll still see New Game, Continue Game and Training Mode as your first options. Choose the last one, it has been extended. Now you'll be able to train together or in your case against each other," he sighed before resuming his explanation.

"And when _we_ press Training Mode, it'll ask which game mode you want, Lyoko or the game's original. Only if you press Lyoko, you'll have access to playing a match against one another. Remember, you're still in Training Mode. It won't change your actual game stats. And of course, this is to remain a secret. These options won't arrive until later in the original game, for normal players that is," he revealed.

"He's talking to you Odd," Aelita spoke up, still facing a wall. "Really? I hadn't noticed!" Odd spun around. "Einstein, you better pay attention. I will be defeating your girlfriend soon," he warned him. "Whatever you say Odd," Jeremie shrugged again. "Are you guys ready?" He asked, but when he looked around the room the bickering duo had already logged into the game.

"So what happened between them?" Ulrich asked. "I have no idea," Jeremie shook his head. "Great," Ulrich plopped down on the floor. "What will they be doing?"

"Much like your match against Aelita when she was possessed by XANA, they will be having a sword fight until we have a winner," Jeremie explained. "But Aelita was good at that time. I don't think Odd has ever handled a sword properly," Ulrich pointed out. "Yeah, but Aelita was possessed. Except for that moment, I don't think Aelita has ever held a sword nor has she ever had any training," he defended her. "Okay, how many rounds do they play?" Ulrich asked.

"Three," Jeremie held up three fingers. 

**_Round one_**

"Ready? Go!" Jeremie shouted. After seeing their friends trying to swipe across each other, Ulrich couldn't contain his laughter. "What are they doing? Fencing? Tap dance?" He remarked as he watched the game on the holographic display. Aelita and Odd were only grazing sword tips as they moved back and forth. "You should turn on the sound. Maybe we can find out what their problem is," Ulrich said. "I already did," Jeremie stated. 

_Meanwhile in the game_

"Are you regretting your actions now, princess?" Odd casually dodged Aelita's stab at his chest. "I don't think there will be anything to regret," Aelita said, trying to stab Odd again. "If you hadn't been so dumb as to do what you did, nothing would have happened," she angrily told him while swiping at him between words. "It was inevitable, we didn't hide it well enough," Odd said, blocking and dodging her blows. "That's the point. You don't understand. We haven't been found out for years. Then you just spill the secret like that!? Tell me why I'm not supposed to be angry at you?" She asked him.

"It was just a slip of the tongue. At least I didn't specify all the details!" Odd defended himself.

"UGH!" Aelita cried out, hacking away at his shoulders. She then performed a perfect low kick. Odd landed on his back. Aelita mercilessly finished him off, getting her a lead in their match. 

_Back at the lab_

"Okay… that doesn't really clarify," Ulrich said. He and Jeremie had overheard the conversation. "Do you know what they're talking about?" Ulrich asked. The blond haired shook his head. "No, but she must have been upset at Odd. She wasn't really all that happy during work either. I guess that's what her idea for this emergency meet up was for," he said. 

**_Round 2_**

"Ready? Go!" Jeremie started off another round. This time they seemed to have picked up the tricks to using a sword. Both of them had improved. "That's more like it," Ulrich crossed his arms and continued playing judge. "How do you think you'd do Jeremie?" The person in question rose one eyebrow. "Let's just say we're probably better off not even imagining it," he calmly stated, taking off his glasses to clean them. Ulrich grinned and continued watching the game. 

_In the game_

"So, are you regretting _your_ actions Odd?" Aelita asked. "I might," he said as he pressed his way forward more aggressively. He swung his sword at her from the left. Aelita managed to parry it, but wasn't prepared for the low kick that followed. Aelita fell over his feet and landed on her back, much like her opponent in the previous round. "Payback time, princess," Odd smiled at her and brought down his sword. Aelita put out hers in time to hear a loud clanging noise. She was safe, for now. She kicked him in his stomach and rolled away. Odd had staggered backwards.

They went at each other again until eventually they were pushing back and forth trying to gain the upper hand. Odd won and Aelita lost her sword to his force, but not without hitting his hand. It made Odd lose his weapon as well. Aelita tackled him to the ground and Odd endured it.

"You know princess, this position won't please our genius doing the computer work up there," Odd pointed upwards. "Seems like old habits die hard," Aelita's eyes followed his hand and she snickered. "Yeah, you can't blame me," he said. "Yes, I can," Aelita referred to the original topic of their conversation. 

_In the lab_

"Aren't they taking it a bit too far?" Jeremie got up. Ulrich laughed. "Hard to say with those two." Jeremie retrieved his own device from a locker in the room. "What are you going to do?" Ulrich asked him, pointing to the electronic disk in his friend's hand. "Going to stop them, they're being idiots," he answered. "I guess it _is_ plain stupid," Ulrich shrugged.

"Just monitor from there," Jeremie waved about with his hand, indicating his seat and the screens. "Right," Ulrich said. "And what if something goes wrong?"

"I seem to remember you are very good at reading instructions from my notes. So just check them if you need it," Jeremie was a little annoyed at the closeness Odd and Aelita were showing. Even if they were grappling like kids. "Ouch, that's bringing back some foul memories of the past. That was uncalled for. It's not like I can return to the past now," Ulrich paused. "Can we?"

"Nope, I erased the program. So you're safe. Sorry for the jab," Jeremie told him as he logged in.

"Too bad," Ulrich thought about how things would have gone if he could transport himself back to any particular moment in time where he tried to ask Yumi out and actually see it through. "But it's better like this." 

**_Round 3_**

"Guys, can you please stop your nonsense?" Jeremie interfered their never-ending second round. "How nice of you to drop by Einstein," Odd said, holding of Aelita. "Will you please get off him now?" Jeremie asked his girlfriend. She was stunned. "Uhm, yeah, sure."

After separation, the three of them were standing in a triangle. "Look, this fight will result in nothing but more stress. You will not be able to come to an agreement like this. Let's log out, sit and talk. I think you owe us for being all secretive behind our backs," he tried to reason with them.

"She's acting like I've destroyed the universe!" Odd spread his arms for emphasis. "I'm just saying you could have thought twice about it. It's all about trust Odd. You broke the promise," Aelita explained.

"That's all fine, but can we have this conversation in the lab?" Jeremie asked, still unaware about what was bothering Aelita.

Odd and Aelita held him back.

"I understand, but you're overreacting princess. If Yumi would have done it, you wouldn't have been so mad," Odd brought up.

"That's a different matter. And I don't see how she would have a reason to," Aelita crossed her arms.

"This is ridiculous guys. Let's just talk about this with the whole group," Jeremie tried again, eyes widening at the mention of Yumi's name.

"No, Odd doesn't realize what he has done," she stubbornly stood her ground. Odd didn't budge either. Jeremie sighed and walked away. The other two ignored him.

Then they heard clanging noise of metal on metal again. Both of them looked around until they saw Jeremie approaching. "What's he doing…?" Odd and Aelita backed away. 

_Back at the lab_

Ulrich's phone rang. "Hey Yumi, what's up?"

"Nothing, I'm taking a break and just felt like asking how you guys are doing," Yumi told him.

"Well… I'm watching an interesting show," he said while being surprised at Jeremie's display of sword swinging.

"Huh?"

Ulrich explained all of it.

"Why are they fighting?" She asked.

"I don't know," he said. "But Jeremie went in to stop them and he's now holding their swords."

"Too bad I have to miss that," she said. "It would be funnier if the others had their swords as well."

"That would be hilarious, but I have no idea how to do that," he paused and looked at the notebook next to the keyboard. "Or maybe, I do," he smirked. Ulrich skimmed through the pages until he found what he was looking for.

"Okay so, this and this and then this… There, done," he proudly told her. Yumi laughed.

"What's happening now?" 

_In the game.._

Aelita was shocked to see a sword appearing in her hands. Odd was amazed when the same thing happened to him. Jeremie attacked them with both swords and his targets blocked without trouble.

"Jeremie, what are you doing?" Aelita asked him. The rookie fighter was silent as he continued to approach them.

"Princess, he's gone mad," Odd said. She hit him with the hilt of her sword.

"Hey! What did I do?" He shouted. "Probably, a lot," she glared at him.

Jeremie started spinning around, keeping his arms spread with swords in his hands.

"Maybe, just maybe, you're right Odd," Aelita admitted when they saw a spinning top Jeremie going crazy. They weren't able to fend off all the hits and went down. 

_Back in the lab_

Ulrich held his stomach while laughing. "If you thought he looked ridiculous years ago, you should see him now," he informed Yumi about the play. "Oh, I think he defeated them," he suddenly stilled. "Or Odd and Aelita gave in?"

"Ah, they're logging out. I'm hanging up," Ulrich told her.

"Okay, I'm going to eat. Then study some more," she said. "Bye."

Ulrich hung up and readied himself to be his friends' welcoming committee...

* * *

"Ulrich?" A female voice said.

"Ulrich?!" The same voice called out to him again with a more urgent tone.

He woke up. "What happened?"

"You fell asleep in a bad position," Yumi said, referring to his neck that was bound to be feeling painful now.

"Ah," he sat up straight, rubbing his neck, "what time is it?"

"Closing time. You were out for a pretty long time," Yumi glanced at her watch. "About two hours?"

"I had a weird dream..," he told her.

"Oh? What was it about?" Yumi asked.

"Aelita and Odd cheating behind Jeremie's back while you were aware of it. And all I did was laugh."

* * *

**A/N: I think the break line in the chapter makes it pretty obvious. But, it's where Ulrich wakes up :P.**


	38. Chapter 31: Unbreakable

**A/N: Hello. I'm a few days late. Sorry about that. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. Since it's been quite long, I recommend reading chapter 30 again to get into the mood. If you don't, there is a small recap that'll make you remember anyway. So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

The doors to the tenth floor were closing. Ulrich inched closer to Yumi, caressing her cheek before placing his hand behind her ear. They held each other's gaze for a few seconds.

Ulrich gently kissed her left cheek, his heart going crazy.

Yumi felt her temperature rise, her will to stop it non-existent.

He moved to the other side, placing one more kiss.

She swore she could hear their heartbeats throughout the enclosed space.

Ulrich closed the distance in sync with the elevator doors.

They closed their eyes in anticipation.

He faintly heard the final thud of closing doors. One that indicated they failed to get out at the elevator's final destination. Yumi also briefly registered the sound, a chance her body automatically took to let go of the bags she was holding.

Ulrich slowly and softly grazed her lips with his own, testing newly crossed boundaries. He felt Yumi stiffen, then relaxing again. They opened their eyes at the same time.

He let their foreheads touch, to build up courage. Yumi was restless inside. She didn't know where to look, her feelings boiling over the top. Ulrich carefully held her close to him, his other hand on her lower back. She was caged in by all the sensations.

Ulrich leaned in again, stealing a quick kiss from Yumi, surprising her. Out of reflex, she gripped his shirt on the sides. Yumi pulled herself up while holding onto him. She looked at him. He was recovering from his rather bold move, but the tugging on his shirt brought him back to the present. He watched her as she tilted her head, quickly shut her eyes and returned the kiss to him. He smiled at the face she was making and briefly wondered whether he had shown the same seconds ago.

When she wanted to pull back, he paralyzed her with a follow up. He slowly captured her lips, this time lingering a little longer before he repeated the movement. Yumi tightened her grip on him as her breath stilled. In response, Ulrich pulled her even closer. Her heart wanted to escape, finding no room to keep up with the intensity of the situation. The kiss was deepened with a gentle fierceness.

The two of them had completely surrendered to the moment.

It had felt like the countdown on New Year's Eve. The attraction, the longing. How long had they waited for this? How many countdowns had passed? How much had they held themselves back?

A sudden shake of activeness broke them apart. The elevator started moving downwards. They were both startled. Somehow Ulrich remembered he was dropping off Yumi and pressed the button for floor 7 just in time. Yumi hid herself in his chest, still holding on to him with two hands. She wasn't going to look at him, too embarrassed to show herself. Ulrich chuckled. "Are you trying to go through me?" He felt her hit him with her fist. "It won't work like that," he told her.

He took a step back and held her hands, squeezing them slightly. "Are you okay?" Ulrich asked her with a serious, yet soft tone. Yumi nodded. "Good," he breathed out a sigh of relief.

The elevator had reached the floor Yumi lived on.

"Okay, then you may go," he referred to him telling her to stay "a little longer". Ulrich simply handed her the bags she had been carrying earlier. Yumi absent-mindedly accepted the bags. She attempted to speak, but wasn't given the opportunity. Ulrich lightly pushed her out of the elevator, while keeping his finger on the "open doors" button. Yumi wanted him to follow. But what would she say? What were they supposed to do now? "I'll see you on Monday," he said calmly. "Wait, I… I…," she unconsciously grabbed her necklace. She strongly wished for him to know how she felt, yet she couldn't find the words. Ulrich stared at her. His gaze held many emotions and he seemed as conflicted as Yumi was. Their eyes reflected each other's feelings.

He smiled at her. Ulrich wanted to pour out his true feelings as well. However, something blocked him. It was the same insecurity that withheld Yumi from speaking her mind. "Good night Yumi. I hope you'll have a good dream tonight," he said. "You too," she said. He let go of the button and the doors closed soon afterwards. "Wait!" She called out to him. But the doors had already closed and the elevator was continuing its way down.

Yumi reluctantly turned around. If they were too afraid to further their relationship, they would never get anywhere. She knew that. Unfortunately, it wasn't that easy. Yumi had taken Ulrich seriously when he said he needed time to process her truth. "_We may have been lost in the moment, but that doesn't mean he is entirely ready_." Yumi recalled Ulrich's final expressions before the doors closed. She sighed and walked towards her apartment.

Ulrich had heard Yumi shout. The elevator was determined to ignore his request to open the doors. He had been late by a few milliseconds. He leaned back against the wall. If his body automatically tried to return to Yumi, why couldn't he move on? Ulrich knew their feelings for each other had spilled over today. There was no going back to a subtle distance. He thought hard. His inner voice broke free of confinement. "_How many more days do you want to mope about the past? Haven't you had enough? Let it go. She truly loved only one. You cannot deny any longer. Don't you want a future with her?! Accept it! Go back! Now!"_

He abruptly got off when the elevator made stopped on the second floor. He heard the person getting on ask him whether it was going down. Ulrich had answered with a "yes" before turning the corner and opening the door to the stairwell. He sprinted up the stairs while thinking about all he had to say. Everything that he needed to get across.

He had forgiven Yumi for her great escape. William was out of the way. To Ulrich, he was already well into the past. Most important of all, he could not – would not – make the same mistake twice. Otherwise both Yumi and Ulrich would keep running in circles. They had to move on, together.

Ulrich was slightly out of breath. This was it. After a short wait Yumi opened the door, while failing to check the hole again. "Ulrich?"

"Hey," he paused and remembered Yumi had called out to him. "What did you want to tell me?"

Yumi looked surprised. "Oh, uhm.. your gift." She went to the living room while telling him to come inside. Ulrich closed the door and waited in the hall.

She returned with a bag. "This is for you," she told him, handing it over. "I noticed you often rub your neck. And last time you fell asleep in that awkward position. So maybe this will help to destress? It came as a set, so that's why there is more than one."

"Thanks," he accepted the gift, but put it aside immediately afterwards. Yumi watched him and rose one eyebrow. She crossed her arms. "You're welcome." The words sounded a little bitter.

He glanced at the bag and back to Yumi. "No, I really do appreciate it! Don't get me wrong," he emphasized. "I came back to say something else," he announced.

"Remember when I told you we were going to become unbreakable?" He saw her nod. "I want that. Not merely as friends." Yumi's uncrossed her arms. "Or good friends." Ulrich determinedly faced her. "Or best friends." Her expectations rose.

"Yumi," he stepped forward, taking hold of her hands. "You and I have been going from here," he lowered their hands, "to there," he raised their hands high, "and in between, repeatedly over time. Like one of those way-too-hard-to-understand graphical display things that come up when Jeremie is busy being a genius." Yumi giggled at that comparison as Ulrich brought their hands to their original position.

"I can't promise it won't be like that. Because you will be you and I will be me," Ulrich smiled a little and her expression showed she followed. "Our strength," he put his finger to the hanger on her necklace, "proves we can be taken apart, allowing us to be lost, but we will always come together again." Ulrich squeezed her hand and breathed in and out once. Yumi was currently as nervous as the man in front of her.

"My feelings for you have never faded. It's not like I granted myself that opportunity," he avoided eye contact. Yumi had a grim look on her face. Thoughts about their negative phases in life momentarily roaming through her had. "At the time I couldn't bring myself to move forward, like the King in chess. That doesn't mean I gave up. I just struggled… a lot. Eventually, I realized that I was stuck in this endless loop of trying to get through to you, but not wanting to disrespect your decisions. After that came a long road of finding matters that would block my way. We both carry that fear, right? What if things go wrong?"

"I'm sure it will be unsteady at first. Actually, I can already think of a problem.. or two," he pondered for a second. Yumi guessed she knew about at least one of those possible problems.

"Will you trust me?" He looked at her directly.

"I never really stopped," she smiled at him.

"Yumi," he paused. "Will you go out with me?" Ulrich tried to remain calm, but he knew he was blushing. He was warm all over, yet frozen by excitement at the same time.

She hadn't been able to brace herself. That tingling feeling had already spread throughout her entire body. Ulrich's honesty had deeply penetrated her more than once in the last few months. And she had saved all those feelings in her heart. Now that the moment was there, it seemed to tell her: _Love him with all you've got._

"Yes," she breathed out and moved forward. Her arms softly encircled his torso underneath his jacket as she hugged him tightly.

Ulrich embraced her in return. "Finally," he whispered to her, "I got it right." He smiled.

Yumi spoke up without looking up. "When I wanted you to wait, I wished for myself to state my feelings aloud. A majority of my time was spent brooding about my decisions, my past and my shortcomings. Like you, I kept blocking off ways that could have led our relationship to this point sooner. Now we're here and I'm wondering. Why don't we ever take the easy path?" She glanced up.

Ulrich had a pensive face. "Because we like a good challenge?"

She laughed at that. "Seems like it." He let go of her. There was a sudden awkward silence.

"_Do I go home now?" _Ulrich thought to himself.

"_Should I ask him to stay over?" _Yumi questioned in her mind.

They stared at each other with neutral expressions on their faces. Ulrich relaxed first.

He ruffled her hair. "Thanks for today. I'm serious." Yumi stopped his hand from moving and nodded. Then she gave his hand a squeeze before loosening her grip. Ulrich picked up the bag she had given to him earlier. "I'm off. I just have to try this as soon as possible." He raised his hand that held the bag.

She smiled. "Goodnight Ulrich."

He opened the door. "Goodnight Yumi."

This day marked the beginning of their new relationship. Although Yumi and Ulrich were definitely not prepared, they would support each other one hundred percent with anything that would come their way.

"_Let's keep going strong Yumi."_ The words surfaced in their thoughts.

And that's what they were going to do. After all, their bond was unbreakable.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading :)! See you next time.**


	39. Chapter 32: Breaking News Again

**A/N: I made it.. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to finish the chapter. And now it's late TT. Not that Mondays are usually filled with energy. Anyway, enjoy the read.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

The next day Yumi awoke to the loud noise of a drill. She groaned. The sound came from the apartment right above hers. "So much for sleeping in," she grumbled after seeing the time on her clock. It was only 09:10 AM. Yumi wished she could stay in bed, but her stomach told her otherwise. There was something she was convinced of was a jinx. Whenever she used her bed, Yumi got up earlier than intended.

She dragged herself out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom to get ready for the last day of the current week. That was followed by a simple breakfast consisting of toast and tea. A few seconds after she finished the dishes her phone rang. Yumi picked up her phone from the kitchen table to look at the caller's ID.

"Aelita?" Yumi answered the phone with a "good morning".

"Good morning, Yumi. Are you busy? Did I interrupt you?" Aelita asked.

"No, I just finished breakfast. What's up?" Yumi stepped into the living room.

"Everything is fine. I was wondering if you were up for some shopping," Aelita said.

"That's rather out of the blue. Is there something special?" Yumi was confused.

"Well, there might be. Yesterday Jeremie told me ELITA will be holding a party to celebrate its first anniversary. The party will be in the second week of April. The only parties I've ever been to are those during middle school and high school. And I was usually one of the DJ's. Anyway, this will be my first formal party. You could say I'm more nervous than I need to be," she heard Yumi speak up.

"I think it's pretty much a fact. You should hear yourself from my side of the line," Yumi chuckled.

"Jeremie seems so composed. To be honest, I don't know what that is based on," Aelita frowned.

Yumi laughed again. "It's all about business for him. Maybe he thinks it's the same for you."

"Yes. He's not wrong. Nevertheless, I'm worried. We have an image to keep. Or well, in our case it would be an image to create. I don't think my nervousness is going to help," she sounded genuinely stressed out.

"Relax Aelita. You will do fine. You can handle yourself in difficult situations, so this should be a cinch," Yumi tried to assure her. "However, if shopping helps, I'm in. I can use some new clothes myself. Want to go today?"

"I would love to, if you've got no other plans," Aelita was grateful.

"Hiroki is coming to my place to sleep over. He has a follow up for that activity from before. But he won't be here until 5 PM, so we have plenty of time," Yumi told her.

"That's great. Where shall we meet?"

"How about the shopping centre near ELITA? They have a wide variety of clothing stores or so I've heard my colleagues say," Yumi suggested.

"Okay. Will 11:30 AM do? Lunch is on me then," Aelita stated.

"Sure, see you then," Yumi said.

"Bye," Aelita hung up.

* * *

Aelita was waiting in front of a bakery when Yumi arrived. "Let me guess. We'll be eating here," she confidently said. "Yes," Aelita smiled. They went inside and saw all kinds of bread on display behind the glass. On the other side, there were round tables where the customers could eat. The young women ordered chocolate croissants, cheese croissants and plain ones. Aelita went for a café au lait. Yumi chose the lemon tea with honey.

"Great choice Aelita," Yumi complimented her after having taken her first bite.

"I like to come here every once in a while. To have some time to myself," she added.

"Ah, I understand. I've got those moments too. Though, most of them are spent in my office. I should also find a good place like this," she stirred her tea.

"Aelita," Yumi continued, creating a rather serious atmosphere. The pinkette looked up due to the sudden change in tone. "I've got something to tell you as well. So it's actually a perfect timing for you to start your worry frenzy today," she set the stage for her – probably unexpected – news.

Her friend put down her cheese croissant, while being unsure whether it would be good or bad. Yumi looked up as well and couldn't hide her smile. "Ulrich asked me out," she revealed. Aelita's eyes widened upon hearing those four words. "He did?" She asked, just to confirm she heard right. When the Japanese woman nodded Aelita got up to give her a hug. "That's wonderful. I'm glad for you. Ulrich and you really deserve happiness now," she smiled afterwards.

Aelita was truly happy for them from the bottom of her heart. She knew as well as Odd and Jeremie how much those two had gone through. She witnessed Ulrich's struggle, but could only imagine Yumi's. "I still can't believe it," Yumi's words pulled Aelita out of her thoughts. "I was so relieved when it happened. I guess I hadn't expected the weight of my worries about Ulrich to be _so_ immensely large. We both talked about how we kept interfering with our own heartfelt wishes instead of following along and carrying out those wishes," she said. Yumi still stirred her tea.

"And now you finally have," Aelita put her hand on Yumi's free one.

"Of course, it's a little hard. I mean, we've officially changed our relationship now. I hope it won't suddenly become awkward. And there is work. I'm sure people will look down on us, especially me. I believe Ulrich also thinks his father isn't going to sit still. Although, I hope that won't be the case as long as we perform well and show good results from our hard work," Yumi started to fidget, plucking off bits of a plain croissant.

"I'm sure you two will treasure each other properly. You will be able to get through anything. Ulrich has been your partner in life in more than one way. If there is anyone you should completely trust, it's him," Aelita had seated herself on the chair next to Yumi, who nodded in agreement.

"I do," Yumi smiled. Aelita did so as well.

"Let's finish lunch. Otherwise, we won't get to shopping," Yumi quickly changed the topic. "Right," Aelita said. "I'll hear the details later," she joked. Yumi blushed. "There are none." Aelita crossed her arms. "Okay, later," Yumi gave in. They both laughed.

After lunch, the two of them spent hours shopping for clothes and shoes. In the end they settled on a dress that suited Aelita to a T. The outfit was completed by a fine pair of shoes and some accessories. "Jeremie is going to have a hard time," Yumi eyed Aelita as she came out of the dressing room. "But that's good, considering how he'll be into business mode all evening. You'll be the best distraction," Yumi smirked.

Aelita blushed. "I like it too," she admitted. "The dress or Jeremie being distracted?" Yumi teased her. "Both?" The blush intensified. Yumi chuckled. "So this will be it?" Aelita nodded. She took a hold of the clothes they had already chosen plus her newly added items and walked to the cash register. Yumi carried the bags that contained the clothes bought from other stores and followed her.

"Did you cycle here?" Aelita asked her when they had exited the store.

"Nope, I took the bus," Yumi answered. "Which is a good thing. I bought a lot more than I thought I would." She grinned.

"Then I'll give you a ride home," Aelita decided. Yumi was surprised. "You have a car?!" She exclaimed. Aelita shook her head. "It's not mine alone," she quickly said. "Technically it's our company car. Jeremie's and mine. We rotate, because we're out pretty often to meet with our clients. One week it's Jeremie, then it's back to me. It depends on the work in the office," Aelita explained.

"Ohh, that's convenient. Even you two have your driver's license then. I haven't really had time to take lessons, let alone take the exam," Yumi told her.

"It wasn't easy, but we managed. Jeremie's father was willing to loan us the money needed for our lessons. We are in the process of paying him back," she disclosed.

"I was about to ask where you got the money from," Yumi said. "Yes, it's definitely not cheap. So I'm glad I passed in one try. Surprisingly, Jeremie did too. I rode with him once during a lesson and he was making so many mistakes. I had to restrain myself from holding on to the door or the handle above the window. I didn't want to make him even more uncomfortable after all." They laughed.

"I'll be accepting that offer then," Yumi said. Aelita grinned.

"Thanks for the ride. You drive really well," Yumi winked at her friend.

"You're welcome. Don't forget. Details. Later," Aelita teased her after she had parked the car in an empty spot on the parking place near the apartment building Yumi lived in.

Yumi got out and opened the trunk to take out her bags. "I'm sure you'll message me over and over again if I don't call soon," she said as she closed the trunk. The pinkette had already opened the window the side of the passenger seat.

Aelita giggled. "I won't spam you. I'm just excited. It's really, really wonderful," she said.

"Thanks Aelita," Yumi smiled. "See you around. Drive safely. Bye."

"I will. Bye Yumi," Aelita said.

Yumi watched her drive away before she turned around to go home.

* * *

When she approached her front door, she noticed Hiroki standing there. "You're early," was her greeting. She remembered it was 04:20 PM after Aelita dropped her off. "I did message you," he claimed. "It must have been on silent. Did you wait long?" Yumi wanted to set down her bags, but Hiroki extended his hands. "Thanks," she handed him the bags and searched for her keys. Yumi glanced at her watch while she unlocked the door. It read 04:25 PM.

"About ten minutes?" Hiroki said. "Sorry, I was out," Yumi opened the door, stepped inside and took off her shoes. She took the bags from her younger brother and went to put them on the coffee table in the living room. Hiroki closed the front door and entered the living room after having taken off his shoes. He set down his bag next to the cupboard with the television on top. "With Ulrich?" He asked. Yumi blushed. Fortunately, she wasn't facing Hiroki. "No, with Aelita."

"Ah," Hiroki said, a little disappointed at the lack of development in his sister's life. He strolled into the kitchen to get himself a drink. "I'll be staying over the entire week. It's for Social Studies. An assignment in which we'll get training at a company. I have to write a report. My training is this week," Hiroki explained. Yumi heard him talk. "That sound like a pain," she said, busy taking off labels of her new clothes.

"It is. There is way too many factors to take into account. I can already hear the teacher complain," he returned with a glass filled with juice.

"Hang in there," Yumi said. "If you need help, I'll try." She grinned.

"Yeah, thanks," Hiroki sat down on the part of the sofa that wasn't occupied.

"So anything exciting happen since the last time I was here?" He asked. Yumi stilled for a moment. Hiroki noticed. "Oh? Usually you deny it immediately. Is it Ulrich?" Hiroki inquired again. Yumi blushed despite wanting to reprimand him.

"Can you stop making Ulrich the reason for everything?" She tried.

"No," Hiroki replied plainly.

"Ugh!"

"So, what happened?"

"Nothing," Yumi had calmed down. If Hiroki was going to stay here for at least five days, she was going to tell him when he would go home. She mentally groaned at the fact that Hiroki would not let her be otherwise.

"Liar," Hiroki found it suspicious.

Yumi was about to retort when her phone rang. "_Busy Sunday for my phone?"_ Yumi picked up without looking who would be on the other side of the line. "Hello?"

"Hey Yumi." It was the voice that would be the cause of many blushes to come.

"Hi Ulrich. What's up?" She asked him. Yumi made eye contact with a visibly energized Hiroki.

"Do you want to go out and grab something to eat?" He asked. "We can talk about what we'll do after yesterday."

"Oh," she paused and looked at her younger brother once more. "Hiroki came just now, to sleep over, so I'm going to pass." Yumi turned around on purpose to hide her expression.

"Can I come over as well?"

"Eh?"

"I mean, just for dinner," Ulrich rephrased.

"Ah, I don't think that will be a problem," she said.

"I will bring the food. Is Italian fine?" He asked.

Yumi simply responded with a "yep".

"Great, see you soon then!" Ulrich excitedly told her.

She smiled at his enthusiasm. "Bye." Yumi hung up.

Hiroki stood behind Yumi. He had been trying to listen in on her conversation with Ulrich. "What are you doing?"

"Is he coming over?" Hiroki wanted to skip the wrath of his sister, but she hit his head with her fist anyway.

"Who is?" She faked ignorance.

"Ulrich," he urged her to tell him, while rubbing his head.

"Yes, he's having dinner with us tonight," she gave in.

"Nice!"

Yumi had put away all of her newly bought clothes and cleaned up the living room. Hiroki was watching TV. "Isn't that Mr. Delmas?" She pointed at the screen. "Yeah, it is," he turned up the volume. "_Is it true that Kadic Academy has committed exam fraud in order to achieve a higher national ranking?" _A reporter asked the question. Mr. Delmas stood in front of his house with bodyguards on either side.

"How did that happen?" Yumi asked.

"They are probably mixing news from the past and rumours from the present on purpose. I heard the school was involved with falsified results in the past. But that was well before Mr. Delmas became the principal. This year they came in fifth in the ranking and people started talking, I guess," Hiroki filled her in on the situation.

"I hope they can clear the misunderstanding. I'm sure Ms. Delmas will help her husband," Yumi said. "How can you be so sure?" Hiroki asked her. "Because I met her. She seems to be the influential type," Yumi revealed. She told him the story of meeting her in Delas company.

"Wow, and I thought Sissi was a lot to handle," Hiroki said.

"Now we know who she inherited that from. It developed into a bad quality for Sissi though," Yumi snickered. Hiroki laughed. "Seems to be the case."

The doorbell rang and Yumi froze for a moment. She walked away in silence. Once at the front door, she confirmed Ulrich was waiting in the hallway.

"Hey Ulrich," she greeted him when she opened the door. Yumi had no control of her rapidly beating heart.

"Hey," he greeted her back. Ulrich carried plastic bags with their dinner in his left hand. He stroked her cheek with his other hand. Yumi closed her eyes for a split second to relish in the moment.

"Is it Ulrich?" Hiroki shouted from the living room, disrupting them.

"You have no idea how many times I've heard that one sentence today," she whispered to him.

Ulrich chuckled. "Let's put an end to your misery then," he joked.

"If you'd please," she gracefully gestured for him to enter. He went ahead to the living room and she heard him greet Hiroki. With Ulrich here, there was no way Hiroki wasn't going to find out.

"_This is going to be a long week_," she thought to herself as she closed the door to her supposed doom.

* * *

**A/N: Now, I'm tired XD. See you next time.**


	40. Chapter 33: Yumi vs Hiroki

**A/N: Yes! Apologies for being one week late. Work has been a liiiittle stressful (read; a lot) and I've been tired. No other excuses, sorry :)! Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

"Ulrich!" Hiroki got up to greet – unbeknownst to him – his sister's boyfriend. "How have you been?" Ulrich asked the ecstatic younger male. "Fine, just fine. And you? Has my sister been crazy?" He laughed. "She's been better than that." Hiroki frowned. "Crazier?" Ulrich turned his slightly and noticed Yumi coming back from the corner of his eyes. "Yeah, something like that," he answered vaguely. Hiroki didn't pay attention to his sister who was flustered the conversation had already taken _that_ turn.

"And I'm doing great because of it," he revealed. "Well.. that's good then," Hiroki was confused, but decided to let it be. "I brought a new game. Want to test it after dinner?" He asked and started to rummage around in his bag. Ulrich looked at Yumi, who tried to mouth that she hadn't told her brother the news yet. He was amused by the hand gestured she added to aid her explanation. "Oh, it got shoved to the bottom," he heard Hiroki say, who held up the game afterwards. He grinned at the taller male. "Sure," Ulrich agreed to his request.

"Just make sure to keep track of time. Ulrich still has to go home and we all have places to be tomorrow," Yumi warned them. "We're not five-year-olds sis," Hiroki remarked. "I'm warning you because you act like them when you hold a console," she said. Hiroki rolled his eyes. Ulrich chuckled. He was glad they were still the same.

After dinner Hiroki and Ulrich sat on the sofa that faced the TV, while Yumi plugged in the necessary cables for them. "Okay, don't break anything. I'll be doing the dishes in the kitchen," she announced. "Yes, sir," Hiroki joked. "Wait, do you need help? We can help first," Ulrich offered. "No, it's fine. You go and have your guys' time," she said. Hiroki was already busy starting the game. Ulrich held her gaze where Yumi lingered next to the TV. When Hiroki noticed their staring session, he nudged Ulrich with his elbow. "If you're done staring at my sister, let's start," he teased him. Yumi and Ulrich quickly broke off their eye contact and resumed with their respective activities.

About an hour later, Hiroki paused the game. "I'll be right back," he said as he headed for the bathroom. Ulrich nodded and got out his phone.

Yumi heard her phone ring. Her watch read 7:38 PM and she frowned, trying to guess who would call her now. Then she saw the caller's ID. "I'm not even that far away," she answered. Yumi heard him chuckle.

"That might be, but Hiroki will be back any moment. So I'm staying here," Ulrich replied.

"You have the freedom to move around, you know," she told him.

"Can I tell Hiroki about us?" He asked.

"I was hoping for a semi-calm week, but you may ruin that if you want," she exaggerated.

"Hiroki and I have talked about the time we were all apart. And it seems he wasn't always having the best time either. I've been mostly open towards him, because he does deserve that. So, I want to take this moment and possibly make him even happier than you," he explained.

"That's going to be very hard," Ulrich smiled upon hearing Yumi's words. "Just kidding, go for it then," she gave in.

"Thanks Yumi," he said before ending the call.

"Do you want something to drink?" Hiroki asked. He had returned shortly after Ulrich had put away his phone. "I'm making tea," Yumi let them know while choosing a flavour. "Great timing sis," Hiroki shouted in the direction of the kitchen.

The gentlemen resumed their game, but after a minute Hiroki whispered something to Ulrich. "Judging from your earlier staring session, I think you should just ask my sister out," he advised him. Ulrich held back a smirk. "Should I?" He questioned. Ulrich purposely kept his attention on the game. "From what I've heard, she recently started dating someone though," he continued pranking him. "She did?" Hiroki was completely taken aback. "Yeah, so I don't think it's necessary anymore," Ulrich sighed in a dramatic way.

"I'm sorry," Hiroki apologized. "That must be a total drag." Ulrich shook his head. "Not really. I did tell you I love her. And I did promise you I would take care of her. And I'm going to keep doing both," he confidently stated. "Wow, my sister doesn't know what she's missing. I wish I could hit some sense into her," Hiroki twisted his fist into his hand. "Don't.. you'll never win," Ulrich warned him. The younger male shuddered at the thought of him trying to overcome his sister. "Yeah, well, verbally then," he shrugged. Ulrich chuckled. "Besides that, I think she would know exactly what she's missing," he hinted.

Hiroki didn't follow. Ulrich decided he had waited enough. "I forgot to tell you. I also recently started dating someone," he revealed. "Huh?" Hiroki was even more confused, until he retraced Ulrich's sentences. Ulrich saw realization finally dawning on him. "YOU ARE DATING MY SISTER?!" He rapidly stood up and rushed towards the kitchen.

"Have the delusions finally gotten to him? Or is it the truth?" Hiroki had a hopeful look in his eyes as he awaited Yumi's reply at the doorstep. "Tea's done," she said. "I baked a cake too," she pointed to the table. "Get them to the coffee table in one piece and I might tell you," she ordered. Hiroki was in and out quicker than a fox. Yumi smiled to herself as she brought along plates and a knife.

Yumi sat down as well and provided them all with one piece of cake and a cup of tea. "Wellll?" Hiroki pressed on. "Originally, I wanted to tell you later. For instance, when you would go home," Yumi began. "But Ulrich convinced me otherwise. I guess I should be wondering which one of us is treasured more," she looked at Ulrich, who was simply amused once again. "That aside, it's true. As of yesterday, we're dating," Yumi confirmed.

"YES! FINALLY!" Hiroki shouted while jumping up. Ulrich laughed and Yumi rose an eyebrow at her brother's enthusiasm. "I can't believe it. You were right," she told Ulrich. "It's hard to tell. That reaction is not to be compared to yours though," he shrugged. They were referring to their earlier phone conversation. Hiroki was too absorbed in his happiness to listen to them. "Okay, okay," Yumi yanked him down. "I knew it would happen someday! This is just great," he seated himself properly. "A toast to your new beginning," Hiroki held up his tea cup. Ulrich and Yumi smiled and clinked theirs against his. "Thank you," they simultaneously said.

The remainder of the evening was spent by gaming and chatting away until it was time for Ulrich to go home. "Well, see you tomorrow Yumi," Ulrich calmly told her. "Yes," she wished him a good night. "Boring, aren't you supposed to be all over each other so I can be annoying about it?" Hiroki teased them. "Go to bed," Yumi chased him away, sparing him a hit. Hiroki shrugged. "Just saying." Yumi crossed her arms. "Your concerns are really not appreciated," she claimed. "Things will mostly stay the same, right?" She turned back to Ulrich for confirmation. He had already put on his shoes and was holding his jacket in his left hand.

"You're right, _mostly_. Let's see if Hiroki can handle that difference," Ulrich said as he approached Yumi and backed her to the empty space on the wall in the hallway. "Uhm, what are you doing?" Yumi whispered. "I wasn't being serious you know," Hiroki hastily stated to save himself from seeing something he'd really rather not. "I'm being serious too," Ulrich said with a tone that froze Yumi in place. "Wait, you can't, he's watching. I'll never hear the end of it," she tried to stop him. "Someone has to be the first to witness us as a couple. Let's make him number one," Ulrich suggested. He leaned in close.

Despite not wanting to see it, Hiroki also found it hard to move. Ulrich's point somehow sounded plausible enough. "_Of course it doesn't, you idiot_," he thought to himself.

In the meantime Yumi panicked. She was not going to show her brother what she wished to keep to herself. "Ulrich? Maybe you should carry out your great plans another time. It's late, you should-," she was cut off by his kiss.

Hiroki had close his eyes in an attempt to grant them their privacy. But after five seconds he slightly opened his right eye to take a peek. He was momentarily shocked at the sight of an obviously close Yumi and Ulrich. The lower two third of their bodies was perfectly visible. The rest was blocked by Ulrich's jacket that hung over his lower arm, falling over his elbow. "That's unfair," he grumbled. "You were planning that from the start."

Ulrich looked at Yumi, who had already turned red and was currently imagining her brother's sure to be constant pestering. He grinned at her and eyed his jacket. She followed his gaze and let out a sigh of relief, after which she hit him softly. "That is unfair indeed," she said for a different reason.

"I'll go home now," he ruffled her hair. She smiled. "Good night." He nodded to Hiroki, who waved back. Ulrich directed his next words to Yumi. "Good luck, sleep well." After that, he walked out.

Yumi closed the door and locked it. "Do not say a word," she said to Hiroki, who was prepared to speak up. He held up his hands. "I won't," he promised. "_Today," _he thought. Yumi knew he was lying, but was grateful the silence would at least last until morning, with a little luck even until the next evening. "I'll clean up, you can have the bathroom first," she offered. "Okaaay," he said.

With Hiroki out of the way, her thoughts ventured to the next day.

One worry surfaced in her mind.

What was going to happen at the office when their colleagues would hear the news?

* * *

**A/N: Next time, we'll probably be back to drama :D? Thanks for all the follows! And thanks for reading :)!**


	41. Chapter 34: Unexpected Visitor

**A/N: Enjoy the read!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Lyoko! Only my imagination :)!**

* * *

The following day Yumi got up early. She washed up and was ready to make breakfast for her younger brother as well as herself. While making tea she heard rustling noises inside the bathroom. "Guess I don't need to wake him up," she concluded, yawning afterwards. Hiroki sauntered into the kitchen after fifteen minutes.

"Good morning sis," he greeted her normally. "Good morning. Since when do you rise and shine this punctually?" She asked. He focused on getting out the plates before giving her a reply. "Ever since the start of high school." Yumi looked confused for a moment until she realized. "Is your homeroom teacher Mr. Morales?" She saw Hiroki nod dreadfully. They were not talking about the Physical Education teacher, but his brother. Mr. Morales had a real military history and it seemed his strict methods of teaching were a remainder of that. "Poor you," Yumi sympathized.

A while later they had finished their breakfast and prepared to go out. "So you'll find your way?" She double-checked if Hiroki remembered the route to his destination. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be fine. Worry about yourself," he said as he grabbed his bag from the sofa. "I know how to commute to work, thank you," Yumi told him. "I meant, are you going to tell your colleagues? Or is there some kind of dating prohibition?" Hiroki explained.

"Ah, no, I don't think so. At least, nobody ever told me. And I don't know if we'll immediately spring the news on everyone. We're busy. It's not the most important thing in their world. But I'll definitely tell Kelly during lunch," Yumi decided. "Good luck then," Hiroki genuinely wished. "Let's go or we'll be late," Yumi quickly opened the door.

Once outside, the siblings each went their own way.

* * *

When Yumi arrived at work she saw a few people standing in front of her office door. She noticed Kelly wasn't in her seat and walked straight toward the group. They were all team leaders. "Good morning, what's going on?" She calmly asked.

"Ulrich's father is paying him a visit," someone commented. Yumi frowned upon hearing the sentence. "You would think that's not a good enough reason to form a crowd for. Well, may I pass?" She asked after subtly hinting everyone was better off if they would pick up their work again. "We heard some arguing, so we wondered if they were alright," Emily pitched in. "I don't see how that's your business," she eyed them all. "Unless you want in on an awkward encounter with your boss' father, I suggest you all leave," Yumi fiercely brought across her message.

Some of them gave her strange looks. Others couldn't care less and immediately walked away, having had enough drama in the still early morning. "And what makes you think you can go inside then," Emily's sudden jab halted Yumi in her steps. "Of course, I will _politely_ confirm whether it is okay for me to enter. It's my work place after all. I don't like loitering too much," she responded, then turned away and firmly knocked on the door.

Emily stared at her for a few more seconds until she too turned around to head for her desk. This prompted the remaining colleagues to leave as well.

Yumi breathed in before opening the door. "Hello, is it alright if I start up my computer? I need to check some files," she asked. Ulrich's eyes enlarged upon seeing his girlfriend enter their office. His father was visibly annoyed by her intruding. "Good morning, sir," she greeted him, trying not to be intimidated. His father took in her appearance and turned back to Ulrich. "Don't fail me," he said and abruptly left the office.

Yumi quietly put down her stuff and sat down. While entering her password she noticed Ulrich hadn't left yet. "Do you want coffee?" She asked him. "No," he got out. Yumi hesitated. "Pretty much the entire team was standing outside the office when I came in. From what I've heard, it must not have been a happy conversation," Yumi began. "Ah, so you take their word for granted?" Ulrich sounded pissed off, but Yumi understood that was caused by his father.

She shook her head. "I'm not. In fact, I told them off pretty well," she grinned. Ulrich's expression returned to a neutral one. "So.. what _did_ he say?"

"It's nothing special. He wants our results to improve. The company needs to strike a few more deals to help it grow. According to him, we're stagnating. It's funny how he's not even part of this company, but he starts meddling anyway. The director didn't even address this issue. Of course I know there are many opportunities," he stopped talking.

"But it's not solely your responsibility," she finished.

Ulrich remained silent for a moment. "It doesn't make sense. I should give up wondering about when he'll stop expecting excellence from me 24/7. Normally when you see someone trying, you'd support them. He just hammers on and on about having to perform best."

"Can't you talk to the director about how persistent he is?" Yumi suggested.

"Do you really think anyone can persuade him to change his ways?" Ulrich looked at her directly.

Yumi didn't have an answer to that. Then another issue came to her mind.

"Uhm, did you tell him about us?" She carefully spoke up.

"I didn't," he immediately replied. "Saying it won't take me long to tell him would be a lie. Besides the fact that I hardly ever see him, it's.. I..," Yumi cut him off.

"No, that's okay. I think I understand what you mean. Despite my calm demeanour, I am actually quite stressed out about all these people using me as their perfect stress reliever. To be honest, I found myself weak for thinking this. But we both seem to be holding the same feelings regarding this," she sighed before continuing.

"Sometimes I forget that we're only in our early twenties. I guess they are right when they say it's not always a good thing to want to mature quickly. Unfortunately, our circumstances don't give us another choice. But that doesn't mean we need to precisely follow the book of adulthood. We have our opinions which won't dissolve just like that. The point being, I don't feel comfortable about telling them about us even if it's sort of the right thing to do," she revealed.

He nodded. "And it's just me putting of another discussion with my father, since he mentioned it once before. I've had enough of that scowl of his for now," Ulrich explained.

"If we would have been friends with everyone, it would be a lot easier. Also tiring, but definitely easier," she got up. "Speaking of friends, I told Odd and Jeremie," he said. Yumi grinned. "Aelita and I went shopping yesterday, so I told her as well. Kelly is next, though I guess she already knows."

"Great. Glad the easy part is over," his sarcasm was evident. Yumi smiled a little.

"Do you want coffee now?" She asked him. "Yep, let's go," he grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the office. Ulrich let go before they walked passed the doorstep.

As there was a row in front of the coffee machine, they waited patiently for others to finish. Ulrich smiled at Yumi when he saw her adjusting her necklace. He whispered something to her and she couldn't contain her blush. Ulrich snickered, but it earned him a poke in his left side. Yumi smiled contently as she faced forward. He did as well.

At the same time, however, they failed to notice their surroundings.

Particularly, the judging stare in the background.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for the follows and favs :)! A lot has been written. Scrolling through my Word document takes much longer now :O! Well, see you next time :P!**


End file.
